


What’s Your Deepest Desire?

by ReignWrites



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Theo Raeken, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Beta Liam Dunbar, Bottom Liam Dunbar, Chimera Theo Raeken, Corey Bryant & Theo Raeken Friendship, Djinnverse (Supernatural), Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Friends to Lovers, Good Theo Raeken, Hurt Theo Raeken, Kidnapped Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar & Mason Hewitt Friendship, Liam Dunbar & Peter Hale Comedic DUO, Liam Dunbar Loves Theo Raeken, Liam Dunbar Needs a Hug, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, M/M, Mason Hewitt Is A Good Friend, Memory Alteration, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Liam Dunbar, POV Liam Dunbar, POV Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), POV Theo Raeken, Panic Attacks, Puppy Pack (Teen Wolf), Sad Liam Dunbar, Scott McCall & Theo Raeken Friendship, Scott is a Good Friend, Slow Burn, Stiles Stilinski Being kind of an Asshole, Theo Raeken & Brett Talbot Friendship, Theo Raeken Loves Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken Needs a Hug, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Top Theo Raeken, Werewolf Theo Raeken
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:26:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 43,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26984362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReignWrites/pseuds/ReignWrites
Summary: A new and unknown Supernatural being is wrecking havoc in Beacon Hills when people have been disappearing one by one. The problem has been going on for weeks and worsens when Theo Raeken ends up missing. In a desperate attempt to save the innocent lives of Beacon Hills and put a stop to this monster, Liam Dunbar calls Scott McCall and Stiles Stilinski for help despite having departed a few months ago.The last thing Theo remembers is being ambushed by a man with glowing tattoos and blue eyes before being sucked into a fantasy universe. This world is Theo’s happy place and filled with his heart’s deepest desires. Liam’s in love with him, Theo has a comfortable bed to sleep on, he’s a real werewolf, and the alpha of his own pack. A part of him knows this reality is fake, but the way Liam kisses him and looks at him with so much love in his eyes makes Theo stay. He’s finally happy, and he’s forgetting everything about his past life.Will Liam, Scott, and the rest of the puppy pack be able to save Theo, or will they lose him forever to this fake reality?
Relationships: Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Comments: 56
Kudos: 111





	1. Crashing Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! First and foremost, thank you for taking the time to read my work. I highly appreciate it and hope you grow to love this story.
> 
> Second, I rarely post multi-chapter fanfics without finishing them first. I always intend to complete the work before posting it because I end up not finishing them, but I really wanted to share this story and show my love for this beautiful ship. I’m giving myself 2 weeks to write each chapter and post it. Deadlines usually help me and your support will greatly motivate me to continue. So if you want, please leave kudos and a couple of comments. I would like to know what you think of this story and your favorite parts.
> 
> Thirdly, unfortunately, this fanfic isn’t beta read, but I have looked it over several times myself. Still, I apologize for any misspellings and grammatical errors. Also, don’t worry about the warning I will inform my readers in the beginning of the chapter to be wary of a gruesome scene that will pop up later in the story.
> 
> That’s all I have to say for now, so enjoy the reading!

__

_  
What’s your deepest desire?_

_To belong._

Theo peers down at the dimly lit screen of his cellular device to check the time and a groan passes through his parted lips. _Seven o’clock, great._ It’s far too early for him to fall asleep, but he’s sure he won’t get any sleep tonight. Not when the nightmares of his sister plague his mind and the tight space of his back truck. A bitter laugh bubbles from his chest as he thinks about how his life is now. What else can he do out here in the open? Alone? It’s a school night, so the others are most likely doing their homework before they have to tune in for the night. On a comfortable and warm bed. Oh, how Theo wished to lay on a bed. The cold grounds of the tunnels, the scratchy and lumpy bed in his fake parents’ house, and the backseat of his truck were never great places to sleep at. He yearns to stay warm now that the temperature has dropped, but he doesn’t have enough money to pay for a motel for the night. He’s stuck in a vehicle that’s purpose is to itinerant _not_ for a place to sleep in.

Most of his paycheck from the animal clinic goes towards food, laundry, gas, and whatever he can spare to provide for Liam due to his parents leaving him behind when they found out about the supernatural.

A frown tugs on the corner of his lips as he thinks back towards the night when Liam came to him with hot tears streaming down his reddened cheeks and his bottom lip quivering from trying to keep the sobs in. It took a while for Theo to calm the younger boy down so he can inform him of what happened. Apparently, his parents didn’t want to do anything with their son when they saw him shift into a werewolf. They were terrified and ran away without another word. It left Theo fuming, but he kept himself in control because the beta was distraught. That’s how Theo ended up finding himself providing for the younger boy, and along the way, falling in love with him.

Theo sighs heavily and sinks against the driver’s seat, trying to will away the thoughts of Liam. He glances through his fogged-up window and stares out into the open. The sky has been dark for two hours now, making the nights longer the closer it got to winter. The flat land is deserted except for a few houses and an old barn behind him. The only source of life that’s at the edge of Beacon Hills is a couple of flickering street lights and an abandoned vehicle not far from Theo’s truck.

The creaking sound of the barn doors opening makes him jump with vigilance. He tenses and stuffs his hands into his pockets in search of his keys to start the truck. _Don’t be a deputy. At least let it be Parrish or Stilinski._ He’s already gotten shit from the other deputies for parking in restricted areas, and he didn’t want to make his case worse. He inserts the metal key in the ignition but stops short when he hears the unmistakable sound of a feeble second heartbeat. He turns his body to glance through the back windshield in time to catch sight of someone dragging a body into the old and shadowy barn. _That’s not ominous._ He rolls his eyes at his own response.

He grabs his cellphone from his pocket and accesses his messages with Liam. His thumbs hover over the keyboards as he thinks back to the last time he saw the beta. A few hours earlier he dropped him off at his house after lacrosse practice and saw how exhausted he was. He wasn’t talkative and merely gave Theo a tired smile that made him look raddled before leaving his truck.

_Maybe I shouldn’t text Liam._ He doesn’t want to worry the younger boy. He deserves his rest, and Theo’s sure he can handle this himself. He unlocks his car door and swings his legs to plant them on the gravel. He closes the door and walks toward the barn, being mindful of the gravel crunching underneath his combat boots. The chill of the night leaves him shivering after a gust of wind passes him, so he puts his hoodie on and stuffs his hands inside the pockets. Once he arrives at the entrance, he opens the door and winces at the offensively loud creaking noise. He squeezes through the gap and lets the door close behind him before crouching and hiding behind the dusty cardboard boxes.

Theo tilts his head and uses his hearing to make out the heartbeats in the area. He can hear three heartbeats, but two of them are faint. He walks closer to the source and plasters his back against a rusty tractor. He shuffles closer to catch a glimpse and has to suppress a gasp at the sight in front of him.

Two women are bound to chairs and IV needles are sticking out of their arms. He can’t see their faces, but from what he can gather they’re the same age as him. They look like they’re on the verge of dying based on their pale skin. Beside them, a man with tattoos scattered all over his greyish arms and face is drinking from a bowl. Trying to decipher the scents, Theo realizes it’s blood. _Their_ blood. _Wendigo? Definitely not._ They don’t have tattoos all over their body, and they intend to eat the victims not drink their blood.

Theo didn’t want to leave the victims for dead, but he didn’t know what he’s dealing with, and he would much like it if he was alive rather than die alone in an abandoned barn.

Careful not to be seen, Theo turns back around and slips out of the barn. He bolts toward his truck and wrenches the door open to jump in. He turns the key on the ignition and grits his teeth at the defending sound of the engine in the quiet night. He shifts the gear into drive and speeds away from the area. The mixture of scents is already imprinted in his mind as he heads towards the animal clinic. Deaton’s still awake, and he must know something about the man back in the barn. Theo’s sure he’s the source of the disappearances. He didn’t know how the girls looked since their hair was covering their faces, but he was sure it was them.

The clinic comes into view and the truck slows to a stop in front of the building. Theo parks his truck and cuts the engine before climbing out of the vehicle. He sighs in relief when the sign is turned on the ‘open’ side. He walks up to the glass door and pushes it open, making his way to the counter.

Deaton emerges from the backroom and stares at Theo in confusion. “Theo.” He nods at the boy in greeting. “I don’t think I gave you the night shift.” He cracks a smile.

Oh, how Theo wishes he’s here for a night shift. He would’ve come into this clinic with a dazzling smile on his face, but he’s only filled with dread. “I was out driving,” he starts and frowns, suddenly becoming uncomfortable. No one knows about his homeless situation, and the fact he was about to sleep near the monster sends a shudder through his body. “And I saw this man dragging a woman’s body in a barn. I went to go check it out, but I saw him—” he cuts himself off.

“Saw him?” Deaton asks and encourages him to continue with raised eyebrows.

“I saw him drinking their blood. It looked like he was draining them until they got nothing left. It was unusual, and he looked odd.” Theo continues and senses Deaton’s mood change into one of concern.

“Odd how?” Deaton asks.

“Well, for one his skin was grey, but that could’ve just been the lighting, and he had tattoos all over himself. His arms and face. His eyes were glowing.” Theo explains.

Deaton nods and gestures for the chimera to follow him before the pair walk through the door that leads to the backroom. Deaton grabs a leather book from the black wooden bookshelf and flips through the pages until he finds what he’s looking for. He places the book on the table and Theo steps forward to peer down at the pages. “Is this what you saw?” Deaton asks.

The drawing was of a man having odd and complex symbols all over his body, his eyes were glowing blue, and his glowing hand was touching the victim’s head. Underneath the drawing states one-word _Djinn._ “Yes,” Theo whispers.

“Djinns are rare. I’ve never met one myself, but I’ve heard stories though I can’t be certain. They’re just stories. They also go by Genies.” Deaton explains as he flips through the pages of the section about Djinns.

“So what? Did someone rub a lamp and wished for their genie to drink human blood?” Theo asks, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The look Deaton gives him makes the chimera smile apologetically at him.

“No. They don’t grant wishes, but they can read a victim’s mind to see what’s their deepest desire. They poison them with a single touch so their victim falls into a coma-like state. The poison causes hallucinations so powerful the victim dreams of their deepest desire. It looks and feels real. Tangible. They’re able to touch and experience everything, so they’re not able to wake up. Thus letting the Djinn drain them of their blood and feeding off of them.”

After Deaton is done, Theo feels another shudder go through his body. This is different from what they’re used to. They can handle hunters, but Genies who can trick you with your happy place to drain your blood? Theo didn’t sign up for this! “How do we stop it?” He asks. “Are they powerful creatures?”

“Quite. You’ll need a lot of help to take down this Djinn. One single touch can knock you insensible.” Deaton closes the book and turns towards Theo.

Theo sighs and rubs his temples. “Great. It’s not like we have a lot of problems already.” He mumbles under his breath. Monroe’s still out there, most likely recruiting new hunters. Maybe he should’ve left Beacon Hills when he had the chance. The nemeton just keeps luring creatures into this city, but of course, he had to fall in love with a certain beta. His anchor. To keep him grounded here.

“I advise you to get some rest. We’ll talk about this tomorrow after school, hm? This is a pack problem.” Deaton picks the book up and returns it to the bookshelf.

“But I’m not pack,” Theo mutters under his breath so quietly he’s sure Deaton didn’t hear him based on his unfazed expression. “Yeah, yeah. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.” Theo waves at his boss who bids him goodbye before the chimera departs from the clinic.

Theo doesn’t listen to Deaton.

He returns to the barn and doesn’t care that his truck made such a huge ruckus. He can’t rest knowing the innocent people of Beacon Hills are in danger. They’ve gone months without any incidents until a few weeks ago when two teenagers disappeared without a trace. A week later they were found dead in the forest having been drained of their blood.

The pack had gone through so much already. _Liam_ has gone through so much. Half of the pack is gone, his parents are gone, and the stress load of schoolwork deprived him of sleep and three meals. He doesn’t need to worry about this Djinn. Not anymore. Not when Theo is planning on attacking the creature and locking him up in Eichen House. He can do this. It’s his devoir to protect Liam and his little ‘puppy pack.’ He was the _Chimera of Death_. He’ll be able to overthrow one single creature, and if he doesn’t survive— then it doesn’t matter. No one will miss him. Liam will survive on his own. He has the whole puppy pack behind him. The pack who doesn’t care about Theo and never gave him a second glance when he saved them multiple times. They only ever saw him as the megalomaniac who killed Scott to steal his power.

With a fit of newfound anger, Theo kicks the doors open. “Hey, asshole!” His shout catches the attention of the Djinn who swerves around and glares at Theo. He stomps forward as he feels himself shift and lets out a menacing growl at the creature.

“You don’t belong here,” Theo says before pouncing on the creature. He slashes his claws on the man’s arm and smirks smugly when he groans in pain and holds onto his wound. The creature flashes his eyes and lungs at the chimera, but Theo manages to dodge his attack. He turns around and gives a brutal kick to the creature who staggers backward. Theo runs towards him and jumps, raising his clawed hand and slashing him on the face. The creature’s head snaps to the side on impact and groans in pain.

Theo turns around to the girls and cuts the rope with his claws. He takes out the needles from their arms and presses his finger on each of their pulses. He sighs in relief when he hears their faint heartbeat. They’re alive!

Theo grabs his phone from his pocket and accesses his emergency contact list to call Parrish. He holds the device against his ear as he tries to coax the girls awake. The deputy picks up the phone with a confused “Theo?”

“Hey! I found two girls in a barn. Long story. Anyway, they’re not doing so good, and there’s a shithead here responsible for that. So I need you to call an ambulance, and I need you to use your fire powers or whatever to drag this ugly ass motherfu-” Theo explains quickly but is cut off by the creature grabbing him and slamming him against the wall. His cellphone clatters on the floor and barely registers Parrish’s worried voice.

The Djinn holds a struggling Theo while raising his glowing hand with a menacing grin on his face. “Your mind is a powerful place. I can see everything you want.” The creature’s voice is rough and possibly deep. “You’ll be harder to reach.”

“Fuck you,” Theo growls and digs his claws into the Djinn’s tattooed arm. The creature ignores him and lowers his glowing hand onto Theo’s head. “Hey! Keep your gremlin-looking hands off me, or I’m going to shove my foot so far up your-”

Theo doesn’t have time to let out a strangled shout from the agonizing pain when darkness overcomes him. The last thing he sees is the glowing blue eyes of the creature and, for a split second, he thought his tattoos were glowing as well.

• • •

The clamant sound of his alarm makes Liam groan in response. He reaches out blindly to retrieve his cellphone and brings it up to his face. He squints at the bright screen of his cellphone and turns off _Wake Me Up Inside by Evanescence_. He blames Mason because he doesn’t remember setting it as his alarm. He drops the phone on the comforter and drags himself out of bed and stand up. The only source of light in his dark bedroom is illuminated through the thin curtains, so he’s cautious as he makes his way to the joined bathroom. His room is basically in shambles due to not having the energy to clean up after himself, but he doesn’t care. He doesn’t have any roommates to nag at him to clean up. Unless he counts Theo since the chimera acts like a strict and scowling parent. His jaw cracks open in a yawn when he begins to strip out of his clothing to take a quick shower that doesn’t last more than ten minutes, but the lukewarm water manages to wake him up.

Once he’s done with his shower, he dries himself off with a fluffy towel that smells too much like Theo and brushes his teeth. He glances at himself in the mirror and frowns upon noticing the dark circles under his eyes. _I look like shit. I should start taking care of myself._ He thinks to himself as he walks back into his bedroom to grab a change of clothes. Being occupied with the new alpha title, trying to protect Beacon Hills, and attempting to graduate was not a good combination for the stressed-out beta.

Liam walks into the kitchen and tries to ignore the way his heart clenches from the fact his house is deserted. He pulls open the pantry door and sighs in relief when he sets his eyes on the items. It’s a good thing Theo didn’t listen to his protests and bought his groceries. That means Liam has food to last him for at least two weeks. Having Theo over often brought light to Liam’s life. _Maybe I should invite him to stay over._

Liam makes quick work of making himself a turkey sandwich and a BLT one for Theo. He grabs a ziplock bag from the box and wraps Theo’s sandwich. He grabs his backpack from where it’s laying on the couch and walks through the front door. He unzips the small pocket of his backpack and grabs his keys to lock the front door. He takes a bite of his sandwich as he sits down on the front porch and waits for Theo.

He’s already halfway through his sandwich when he checks his cellphone for the third time. _That’s weird. Theo should’ve been here already._ Liam frowns as he unlocks his phone and accesses his contacts list to call Theo’s number. He holds it up against his ear and waits for it to ring, but it goes straight to voicemail. He calls him again, but again, it goes straight to voicemail. The beta starts to feel a burst of anxiety, but he takes several deep breaths to calm himself down. _Maybe Theo forgot to charge his phone? Maybe he’s late? Overslept?_ Liam lists down many reasons on why Theo isn’t answering, and eventually calms down.

Liam calls Mason’s number instead and his best friend picks up on the third ring. _Okay, nothing is wrong. It isn’t the end of the world._ “My man. How’s your morning going?” Mason asks with an enthusiastic tone.

“Shitty so far.” Liam sighs as he finishes his sandwich. “I think Theo overslept. He isn’t here and isn’t answering my calls. Can you pick me up?” He asks as he stretches his legs out in front of him.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Hang tight.” Maon’s tone is light and surprisingly understandable. There’s no evidence of ire and accusations on what the chimera might be doing, and Liam is thankful for that. Theo is trying his best. Being late to pick Liam up to take him to school isn’t a big deal. _Then why do I feel off?_ He tries not to dwell on it.

“Thanks.” Liam smiles and hangs up. He looks down at the wrapped sandwich in his hand and sighs. He unzips his backpack and stuffs the sandwich inside his bag. Maybe he can stop by Theo’s work after school to give him his sandwich. It’s better than nothing because Liam doesn’t have a job, so there’s no possible way to pay him back. The savings his parents left him are specifically for college, and since he doesn’t have them by his side anymore he can’t touch it. _At least they wanted me to have an education._ The thought makes him sick to his stomach.

He never thought his parents would ever leave him. It’s bad enough his biological father did, but now both his parents?

Ten minutes later, Mason’s car comes into view and stops in front of his house. Liam stands up from the stairs and makes his way to the vehicle. He notices his two best friends up front but doesn’t pay attention to the person sitting in the back until he opens the backdoor and slides inside. He manages to suppress a yelp when he notices _Brett fucking Talbot_ sitting beside him with a mischievous glint in his eye. Their odd relationship is somewhat amicable after the war, but sometimes Liam can’t _stand_ him. He’s such a nescient asshole who thinks he’s above everyone else. _What the fuck is he doing here?_

“Hey, Dunbar,” Brett smirks and crosses his arms, tipping his head. “Can’t Mason give me a ride to school?”

Liam realizes he said that out loud, but he doesn’t care. _Fuck Brett._ Liam wishes Theo is here so they can make fun of him together. “Why didn’t you go with your sister?” He asks and narrows his eyes. “We don’t even go to the same school.”

“Just thought I would tag along.” Brett shrugs, his heart rate suspiciously calm.

“Fuck you. Fuck you Mason for not telling me. Hi Corey.” Liam glares at Brett and turns his death glare at Mason who started driving to ignore their heated conversation. Meanwhile, Corey waves at the beta with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“I thought we were all friends here?” Brett asks with a pout. His bottom lip puffing out, but the corner of his lips twitched into a smirk.

Liam _really_ fucking wishes Theo was here. He would’ve had a great comeback, and he would’ve driven Liam to school instead of being cooped up with Brett. This morning is already bad enough because he didn’t get to see Theo, and the fact he gets to see Brett instead is even worse. “Get fucked,” he sneers and turns his attention to the window. His anger is seeping into the atmosphere and the boys stay silent.

Brett opens his mouth to probably make a dumbass comment but shuts his mouth when he receives a glare from Corey. His scent is clinging to Liam’s clothes like a vice grip, and for once, he wishes the car ride goes fast enough before he loses his temper. _A morning without your anchor and you’re already losing it. Good job, Dunbar!_ He scowls at the voice that resembles a lot like Theo.

Thankfully the rest of the car ride is silent. That is until they arrive at the school when Brett turns to look at Liam. “Hey, Liam-”

“No,” Liam snaps and wrenches the door open before stumbling out of the vehicle. He ignores his friends calling out his name as he makes his way through the double doors of the school building.

The sound of laughter and students being overly excited in the morning gets on Liam’s nerves. He feels his claws coming out, but he forces himself to retract them before he can scratch up a nearby giddy student or the lockers. He arrives at his locker and puts in his combination before opening it. A familiar scent catches his nose as he grabs his math textbook before shutting the locker close.

“Hey, Liam!” Nolan calls out to him as he slows to a stop in front of the beta. “What’s with the long face?” He asks with a frown.

Liam can tolerate Nolan since he isn’t a very talkative boy, and he knows when to back off when Liam isn’t having it. He still feels tense though when he turns to look at the boy. Sure, they’ve fought each other to the point where they were bleeding with many cuts and bruises scattered all over their bodies, but they made up. It wasn’t the best to hold grudges, especially when there’s a rogue creature on the loose and half the pack gone. “Brett,” Liam simply murmurs.

“Ooooh. Hot guy with an eight pack?” Nolan asks and takes a step back when Liam glares at him. The audacity of his friends. They knew he didn’t like him very much, but they all thought he was hot. All except for Theo who agreed with Liam when he stated Brett wasn’t _that_ good-looking.

“No, the douchebag who doesn’t take a hint.” Liam huffs and turns around to head to his next class. He can hear Nolan’s footsteps following him, momentarily forgetting they have the same math class.

“What’d he do this time?” Nolan asks in a confused tone.

“Exist,” Liam breaths out. That wasn’t his initial response, but it’s probably the main reason why he can’t tolerate Brett. The next reasons are the torment and the ability to piss Liam off without trying. He can just _breathe_ and Liam would want to push him into oncoming traffic.

Liam’s thinking about how to make the push an accident when Nolan speaks up again. “Heard anything about the creature?” He asks to try and steer the conversation away from fuckface Brett, and Liam is glad for that. Maybe Nolan should be his new best friend.

“No.” Liam frowns as he glances at Nolan. The tension is flowing out his body, but it’s probably because he’s exhausted. They don’t even know _what_ it is. Liam thought vampires, but Theo had laughed at him. _What a bitch._

“Did you study for the math exam?” Nolan asks and Liam stops in his track. Nolan glances at the beta and stops beside him.

“Shit, fuck. No.” Liam buries his face into his hands, a muffled groan slipping through his fingers. He spreads his fingers and looks at Nolan through the gaps. “I’m going to fail.” He drops his arms by his side and sighs. _Who the fuck assigns an exam at eight in the morning? It should be illegal._

“Good luck.” Nolans pats him on the shoulder and offers him a polite smile. The pair start walking again until they arrive at math class. They make their way to their assigned seats, which is in the middle of the classroom. Liam is sitting in the far right of the classroom right beside the big windows. The beta props his chin in the palm of his right hand as the bell rings and the teacher announces they’re about to start the exam. Liam barely suppresses the groan before dropping his head on the desk.

He’s going to fail this class.

• • •

Just as he knew it, the math exam did not go well, but he can’t find it in himself to care. He barely pays attention in his second and third period since he was spacing out most of the time. He took the responsibility to text Theo in between classes, but the chimera never responded to his text messages. The absence of his text messages was starting to worry Liam, but he tried his best to keep himself calm.

His World History class rolls around, and he makes his way to his assigned seat. Next to Mason and in front of Corey. His best friends look at him with concern, but he merely rolls his eyes. He’s still pissed about the whole Brett situation, but he isn’t going to hold a petty grudge.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Brett, and I’m sorry I drove him to school,” Mason said sincerely with a tight smile.

Liam sighs and slumps in his seat. “It’s fine. Just warn me next time so I can grab silly string to spray at him.” He glances at Mason and gives him a small smile.

A grin appears on Mason’s face, and he nods. “Will do.” He fist pumps Liam. The beta glances behind himself to fist pump Corey as well who looks relieved.

They didn’t have time to talk until the teacher walked into the classroom with a stern look on her face. “Turn to section twelve.” She announces, and this time, Liam doesn’t make a noise. He loves History, and it’s a good distraction to block out the bad things that are happening in his life. He grabs his textbook and flips it open to section twelve.

_“Apologizes for the interruption. Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, and Liam Dunbar come to the principal’s office. I repeat Mason Hewitt, Corey Bryant, and Liam Dunbar come to the principal’s office. The rest of you may continue with your classes.”_

Liam’s smile falters as he hears the announcement. He glances at Mason and Corey who are just as confused as he is. “You heard the woman.” Their teacher says and gestures towards the exit. The trio packs their things away before standing up and filing out of the classroom.

“What do you think happened?” Corey asks worriedly and Liam shrugs, but his heart rate spikes up in a panic.

“I-I don’t know.” Liam’s breathing picks up as he stuffs his shaking hands in his pockets. He feels the weight of Mason’s hand on his shoulder.

“Maybe it’s nothing,” Mason suggests, and Liam hopes his best friend is right, but he’s been feeling so _wrong_ since this morning he can’t help but think of the worst-case scenarios.

They walk into the principal’s office and are met with Parrish and Stilinski who are looking at the trio with solicitude clear on their faces. “What happened? Is someone hurt? Did you find the creature? What?” Liam asks a little aggressively and has to be stopped by Mason squeezing his shoulder to ground him.

Parrish and Stilinski glance at each other with an unspoken conversation between them, and Liam snaps with impatience. “What?!”

“It’s Theo.” Parrish is the first to answer, and he looks crestfallen. A wave of guilt spreads through him, and it’s so much Liam has to suppress a gag and refrain from drowning in it.

“Theo?” Liam asks tightly. What happened to Theo? Is he okay? Did something go wrong? _Oh, God did he run away from Beacon Hills?_ So many thoughts are going through his head he barely registers the next words Parrish says, and it breaks a damp in Liam.

“Theo’s missing.”

Liam can feel himself drowning.


	2. It Hurts to Miss You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. I didn’t lose you, did I? I hope not because I’m having fun writing this story, and all your kudos and comments are motivating me! This chapter is Liam-centric, but the next chapter will be Theo-centric. I’m done with the outline of this fanfic, and I can see that it’ll have ten chapters. Some chapters might be longer than others, but we will see. Anyway, enjoy! Leave some comments afterwards?

  
_  
Liam clung to Theo by securing his arms around his broad shoulders in a tight grip and leaned his head against his muscular chest. The last couple of tears streamed down his face before he fully stopped crying. He inhaled deeply through his nose then let out the breath through his mouth to try and calm his racing heart. Once he was calm enough to know he won’t have another crying session, he finally pulled away from Theo. He immediately started to miss his warmth and solace but kept his gaze on the floor. _

_ “Sorry for crying on you.” Liam’s voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. He lifted his gaze to Theo’s shirt and bit down on his quivering lip to keep from smiling. “Sorry for ruining your shirt.” It was soaked with tears, and possibly snot, but Theo didn’t seem to mind. _

_ “You have nothing to apologize for.” Theo whispered and wiped Liam’s tears away. He smiled at the beta who finally made eye contact with him. “Your parents are dicks. Family’s overrated anyway.” He shrugged as he wrapped an arm around Liam and walked him towards his truck. “Do you want to go somewhere?” _

_ Liam leaned against Theo’s side as he thought about where they could go at this hour. It was nearing ten PM, but that doesn’t stop Theo from trying to chear him up. “Can we get ice cream?” He asked in a soft tone ecliting a chuckle from the chimera. _

_ Theo gave the younger boy a dazzling smile before opening the car door for him. “You got it. Mint chocolate chip here I come.” _

_ “Gross.” _

_ “You’re gross.” _

Liam can hear the blood pounding in his ears and the way his heart thudded against his ribcage on the verge of bursting out of his heaving chest. He stares down at his shaking hands, and he can feel the rest of his body trembling with panic. His feet start to tingle, and he didn’t have time to react before he lost his footing and fell back against the plastic chair. His vision blurs together as if he’s staring through a screen, and all he can make out is a blurry version of Mason’s concerned face in front of him. When did he lookup? Mason’s lips are moving to form words or a jumbled up sentence, but Liam can’t hear a thing except for the blood rushing through his veins. All he can think about is  _ Theo Theo Theo. Theo’s missing. _

Liam remembers the last time he felt like he was drowning without being plunged into the water and fighting to the surface to be able to breathe. He remembers and it’s just as worse as it is now. The realization his biological father left him and his mother was too wrapped up in her own sadness to comfort her child. Then another time when his mother and step-father left him, but that time he had Theo to save him from drowning. Maybe it would’ve been better if he was drowning in water because he would have a solution to survive. He would keep kicking and screaming until his face was above the surface, but he wasn’t in any water. He was standing in the middle of the principal’s office and trying to catch his breath.

Liam’s claws were digging into the flesh of his thighs, but he barely registers the pain.  _ We have to find Theo. _

His senses start to come back with that single thought and the principal’s office starts to come into view. The horrific concern faces of his friends are staring back at him with deep frowns. Then he registers the pain and retracts his hands with a hiss. He takes several deep breaths to calm his racing heart and feels the pain turn into a dull ache. He watches as his claws go back to their normal human nails then hears the unmistakable sound of his name.

“Liam?”

Mason looks reluctant while lowering his hands onto Liam’s shoulders, but when the beta doesn’t react violently, he sighs in relief. “Thank God. I thought you were gonna wolf out and tear this place down. You had me worried, man,” he admits as he rubs Liam’s arms in a soothing manner, and Liam can feel the tension flow out of his body.

Liam stares at his fingers stained with blood for several long seconds before lifting his gaze. “Wh-what happened?” He asks and swallows with a dry mouth, lowering his hands onto his lap.

“You were having a panic attack,” Mason explains while taking his seat next to Liam. He keeps his hand on Liam’s shoulder in an attempt to ground him because touch is usually one of the solutions with the beta. “You okay?”

“Oh.” Liam frowns. “Yeah…” He thinks back to the reason that triggered his panic attack, and he glances at Parrish who has a tensed stance in a hostile way. He tries to shake away the anxiety and focuses on the deputy to get some answers from him. Most specifically about Theo. “What happened to Theo?” He asks quietly.

Parrish frowns. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to tell you. You need to rest and focus on your schoolwork.” He suggests, but Liam isn’t having it.

The beta stands upright from his seat and holds onto the counter for support when he feels the dizziness kick in from his panic attack. He walks forward but is stopped by Corey this time. “Tell me what happened.” His tone is firm and there’s a hint of a growl towards the end, but it died down from how exhausted he became.

Liam knew Parrish can overpower the werewolf without any help. Hellhounds are strong like that, but Liam doesn’t care. He wants answers and wants to find Theo as soon as possible. Before the monster can drain his blood to kill him.

Parrish deflates and nods in defeat. “Okay, okay.” He glances at sheriff Stilinski who encourages him with a nod. “I was about to clock out of work when I got a phone call from Theo.” Parrish glances back at Liam. “I answered him, and he was telling me he found two girls in an abandoned barn. Informed me I needed to call an ambulance and insisted on bringing this monster to Eichen House. Before I can do any of that he was taken from the monster. I heard the commotion, and I knew I needed to track his phone as soon as I can. The last thing he said was  _ ‘keep your gremlin-looking hands off of me, or I’m going to shove my foot so far up your-’  _ then was cut off by silence.”

He says the whole thing with a straight face eliciting a strangled noise from Mason who turns his head to disguise his laugh as a cough. Corey’s biting his lower lip to keep from smiling, but a glare from Liam makes them turn away from embarrassment. Despite the serious moment, Liam can’t help the twitch in the corner of his lips. Even during his near-death experience, Theo wasn’t afraid to speak up and taunt his enemies.

“I tracked down his phone, but when I got to the scene he was gone. The two girls were saved, but they’re in a coma right now. They’re doing better, but the doctors can’t get them to wake up.” Parrish explains.

“Maybe we can go to Deaton to ask him if he has anything that will help them?” Mason suggests as he glances around. “This  _ is  _ caused by the supernatural.”

Liam nods in agreement. “We’ll go to Deaton.” It’s the only words he can manage without choking up from emotion. He always thought of Theo as invincible every time they ran into trouble because the chimera would always come out alive despite how reckless and insane his tactics were. His intelligence and leadership helped them a lot, and his plans were well thought out. Without him, Liam’s sure he and the other pack members would be dead by now. Now this time Theo’s in trouble, and Liam doesn’t know what to do. He digs his claws into the palms of his hands to divert his attention away from the intense emotions. “Do you have Theo’s phone? His truck?” He asks because he wants something to hold onto Theo. To give him hope that they’ll find him in one piece.

“His phone yes, but the truck is still in front of the barn.” Sheriff Stilinski informs the boy and Liam holds out his hand.

“Give me his phone.”

The sheriff frowns. “I can’t do that. It’s evidence.” He says slowly and looks hurt at the fact he can’t hand Liam the phone.  _ Which is bullshit. Who does he think he is? _

“Give. Me. His. Phone.” Liam’s tone is taut with anger as he steps forward and flashes his yellow eyes at him.

“We have to do everything we can to find-” the sheriff starts to say but is cut off by Liam.

“You don’t care about finding Theo. You never cared for him in the first place.” Liam retorts with a growl and takes another step forward. “So give me his phone, or I’ll take it from you. Trust me, you won’t like me when I’m angry.” He bares his canines and feels the way his friends tense behind him.

_ Careful there, Little Wolf. Don’t want the sheriff to lock you up in the cell right?  _ Liam can practically hear Theo’s voice in his mind in response to Liam basically threatening the sheriff.

“It’s okay,” Parrish informs the sheriff and nods at the boy. “We don’t have much information on his phone.” He admits and Stilinski sighs. He turns around to grab the plastic bag with Theo’s phone in it that’s by the counter and drops it on Liam’s hand.

The boy snatches the phone and cradles it to his chest. “Where’s the barn? I’ll go retrieve his truck and talk to Deaton to see if he found anything.”

“Kid, you still have school-”

_ “I don’t care.  _ Just tell me where the barn is.” Liam clenches his jaw and holds Stilinski’s gaze until the man gives him a tight smile in response to his defiance. How can he focus on school when Theo’s in trouble?

“I’ll take you there,” Parrish says and starts to walk out of the room along with Stilinski following behind him closely.

Mason falls in step beside Liam when the boy leaves the office and glances at his friend. “You’re still holding a grudge against the sheriff?” He asks with a frown.

“Yup. He deserves it.” Liam shrugs and keeps walking until they’re at the entrance. He’ll never forgive Stilinski for locking Theo up after the war. The chimera was behind bars for a whole  _ month _ without Liam’s knowledge, and it didn’t end well. Liam coudln’t do anything about it, so it took Scott  _ and  _ Stiles to convince the sheriff to let him go, claiming he was an ally now.

Liam stops in his tracks when he continues to hear footsteps behind him and glances back at Mason and Corey with determined looks on their faces. “You guys need to go back to class.” He says tentatively. He didn’t want to go alone, but he also didn’t want to risk his friends failing their classes.

Corey shakes his head. “Theo’s one of us now. Has been for a while. We’re not letting you do all the work. I want to find him as much as you do.” He glances at Mason and smiles while taking his hand. “We both do.”

Mason nods in agreement while holding Corey’s gaze and squeezing his hand. “We’re all in this together.” Then he looks back at Liam. “And I have a 4.9 GPA, so I’m okay.”

Liam’s eyes widened in response to Mason’s smugness. “I didn’t even know that was possible.” He glances at Corey who nods in agreement. “Alright. Then let’s go.” Liam smiles and they start to walk out of school to Parrish’s police car. Once they’re in the vehicle, Liam realizes what exactly Mason said. “Did you just quote High School Musical?” He asks.

“Maybe. What’s it to you?” Mason asks in a defensive tone, making Liam and Corey chuckle in amusement. Mason retracts his hand from Corey’s grip and sticks his tongue out at him.

• • •

Parrish explained he still needed work to take care of at the station but to call him if they found anything before driving away. Mason and Corey decided to make their way into the barn to look for any clues and left Liam alone to stand in front of Theo’s blue Toyota Tundra. He’s so used to seeing Theo beside his truck and taking care of it, his mind starts to play tricks on him. He squints his eyes and rubs them to make sure he isn’t imagining it when he sees Theo leaning back against the driver’s seat with a ghost of a smile on his face. Theo tips his head back and closes his eyes. At the angle Liam is watching him from, he can see the sun rays shining down on Theo making him look like he was sculptured by Aphrodite herself.

When Liam steps forward the image vanishes. He lays his hand flat against the metal car door and presses his forehead onto the dark-tinted windows. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, stepping away and opening the door. The moment Theo’s scent washes over him he lets out an involuntary whimper. The scent of leather, jasmine, and sweet apples. He already misses Theo so much and his scent makes everything so much worse, but at the same time, it calms him. The scent reminds him of his childhood before everything went to shit. It’s almost hard for Liam to climb into the truck.  _ Almost. _

He opens his eyes and closes the car door. He slides his backpack off and tosses it on the seat beside him. His hands feel over the steering wheel and he looks around for the key until he sees it sticking out underneath the passenger’s seat. He bends over to grab Theo’s keys and examines the metal keys with the ridiculously cute unicorn key chain attached to it.

Liam gave it to Theo as a joke when the younger boy dragged him to a school field trip. They entered a souvenir shop to buy something to remind them of their first trip together. The trip wasn’t anything extraordinary, but they had fun. Liam saw the keychain and burst out laughing when he handed it to Theo who did  _ not  _ look amused.

The fact that this big bad chimera kept it made Liam let out a wet laugh as he flicks the tears away. He inserts the key in the ignition and leans back against the seat without turning on the engine. He wraps his fingers around the opposite sides of the steering wheel with a firm yet gentle grip and taps his thumbs along the smooth leather. Just the way Theo taught him.

_ “Do you know how to start the car?” Theo asked while settling himself onto the passenger’s seat and buckling his seatbelt. _

_ “Totally,” Liam mumbled as he eyed the keys in his grasp. Why did Theo have so many damn keys? This would’ve been easier if Theo had one or two keys, but  _ **_no_ ** _ he had roughly a dozen. What were the other keys used for? To open a bank? “Since I know how to turn it on. I just want to make sure I have it right. Which key is it?” He asked with a sheepish smile and a light blush. _

_ Theo pointed at the only key with a black cover on top and chuckled when Liam grumbled something along the lines of ‘I knew that.’ “Don’t strain yourself, Little Wolf.” He smirked as he watched Liam turn on the engine. The way the truck rumbled underneath them made Theo nod in approval and glanced at the beta with pride. _

_ Liam grabbed the gear stick and tried to pull it downwards but it wouldn’t budge. “It’s stuck.” He furrowed his eyebrows and looked over at Theo for guidance. _

_ “You have to step on the brake to shift gears,” Theo explained, and Liam followed his instructions. “It’s not rocket science.” _

_ “It’s not rocket science.” Liam lowered his voice to mock Theo. He shifted the gear into drive and stepped on the gas pedal, momentarily forgetting where they were. His eyes widened at the closed garage door and slammed on the brakes before they crashed. The seatbelt dug into his chest, and he gave Theo a small smile, embarrassment flowing out of him in waves. “Oops. I forgot to put it on reverse.” _

_ Theo rolled his eyes. “You’re a hazard to society,” he mumbled under his breath, but Liam ignored him while shifting the gear into reverse. “Don’t step on the gas pedal. Just ease your foot off the brake.” He instructed. _

_ Liam slowly lifted his foot off the brake and the truck began to roll off the driveway. Once he was on the road, Theo helped him turn the vehicle by covering his hand that was placed on the steering wheel. He turned the wheel until the truck was on the right side of the road. “Go slow, but once you get the hang of it you can go faster. Just stick to the speed limit for now.” He reminded the beta who nodded eagerly. “Don’t be so tense. Relax.” Theo guided Liam’s hand to the side of the steering wheel and stroked his knuckles with the pad of his thumb until the younger boy relaxed his grip. _

_ Liam happened to be one of the worst drivers in existence. He would step on the gas pedal and the brake a little too hard, making them swerve forward. Theo’s criticism didn’t help either. The chimera kept nagging at him to stay on the right side of the road, to follow the speed limit  _ **_(“You drive like a grandma.” “Shut up, Theo. I’m trying my best!”),_ ** _ and to take care of his baby.  _ **_Theo calls his truck his baby what a nerd._ **

_ It was one of the happiest days of Liam’s life. _

_ “I’m never letting you drive my baby ever again,” Theo had mumbled, but guess what? The very next day Liam drove the truck again and again until he aced his driving test. _

_ “Look! Look! Look!” Liam jumped up and down as he shoved his driver’s license in Theo’s face. “I passed!” He jumped into Theo’s arms, making him huff and stumble backward, and wrapped his arms and legs around him. _

_ “Goob job. I knew you can do, Little Wolf.” Theo laughed as he patted Liam on the back until the younger boy pulled away from Theo’s grip. _

Liam twists around in his seat and spots a pillow, a backpack, and a thin blanket neatly folded in the backseat. Theo has always been an immaculate person, so he isn’t surprised to see his truck perfectly tidy. He frowns as he reaches over and grabs the backpack to unzip it and open it. He spots Theo’s necessities that contain his toothbrush, toothpaste, and shampoo. Realization dawning to him that Theo has been living in his  _ truck. Why didn’t he tell me? _

Liam spots a hoodie at the bottom of the backpack and takes it out. He brings the bundle to his nose and inhales Theo’s scent. His wolf howls and yearns for the touch of the chimera. He holds the hoodie close to his chest as he looks around the vehicle with a deep frown on his face.  _ This is my fault. If I had known I would’ve let Theo stay at my house. He wouldn’t be gone.  _ Liam tugs his sweatshirt off and tosses it to the backseat. He slides Theo’s hoodie on and the scent wraps around him like a warm blanket with a sense of safety and calmness.

Liam unzips his backpack and takes out the plastic bag with Theo’s cellphone in it. He rips open the plastic and grabs the phone. He holds down the power button until the phone boots up, sighing in relief when he realizes it still has battery. He waits until the phone fully turns on and feels it buzz in his hands when his messages sent to Theo appear on the lockscreen. His thumb hovers over the glass screen as he thinks this over.  _ This is an invasion of Theo’s privacy.  _ He thinks to himself, but he is  _ curious  _ about what Theo has on his phone. Maybe there’s a clue in it to find him? Wishful thinking sure but Liam’s desperate.

Before Liam can talk himself out of it, he unlocks Theo’s phone and checks the call log. Most of the calls are from Liam, Corey, or Deaton. Sometimes he spots a call from Mason, unknown numbers, and  _ Brett.  _ Liam feels jealousy rise in him, but he shakes it off and exits the app. He accesses the messenger and scrolls through seeing messages from Liam, Corey, Mason, Deaton, Alec, Nolan, Brett  _ what the fuck are they? Best friends? _ And- wait,  _ Scott? _

Liam always assumed Scott hated Theo by never giving him a second chance and hardly sparing him a glance after the war. He was fraught with uncertainty when he noticed Liam and Theo were closer than before. He reprobated their odd relationship, and Stiles wasn’t afraid to speak his mind about them, especially about Theo. The last time Liam saw them together they weren’t on great terms, but maybe he was wrong? He’s curious about what they talk about, but he’s already seen enough. Reading someone else’s messages is crossing a line.

He exits the messenger app and accesses Theo’s photo album. Liam isn’t sure what he expects out of seeing Theo’s photos. Maybe images of crime scenes? Articles? Serial killers? Perhaps Theo’s a secretly big softie and has pictures of cute cats? The thought makes Liam giggle, but it’s cut short when he sees tons of photos of  _ him.  _ There are photos of the pair together, some selfies of Theo himself, some of the other pack members, but there are tons of photos of just Liam. Photos he didn’t think Theo would ever have. Why is he so enthralled by Liam? Sure, he’s an attractive guy, but he didn’t think Theo would look at him in  _ that  _ way.

He doesn’t notice Mason and Corey are heading his way until a knock startles him from his snooping. He shuts the phone off before stuffing it inside his pocket and glances out the window to see Mason’s face peeking through the window. Liam opens the door and drops down on the gravel. Mason’s gaze settles on the oversized hoodie Liam’s wearing but doesn’t mention anything about it. “Found anything that can lead us to Theo?” He asks instead, tearing his gaze away from the fabric.

“No. Only his scent and my dumbass realizing he’s homeless.” Liam frowns and Mason gives him a look of sympathy with a mixture of guilt. “You and Corey?”

“Negative. There’s nothing that can lead us to him. Head to Deaton?” Mason asks.

Liam sighs and nods in confirmation. “Head to Deaton.” He’s hoping the vet is able to help them in some way.

“We’ll find him,” Mason promises when he notices Liam’s crestfallen look.

“What if we don’t?” What if they don’t? Liam can’t live without Theo. How will he get by? He needs him, and not because the chimera helped him in so many ways but because he  _ needs  _ his anchor. Theo is the only one who’s able to obviate the scratch underneath Liam’s skin.

Mason doesn’t have an answer for that, but he does reach out to squeeze Liam’s shoulder. He walks to the other side of the vehicle and climbs into the passenger’s seat while Corey slips into the backseat. He moves Theo’s things to the side and Liam can sense a spark of sadness coming from Corey. Liam tries not to think about it as he settles in the driver’s seat again and turns on the engine. He’s glad Theo taught him to drive because he didn’t want to leave his truck behind. The Toyota Tundra and the things inside it are the only parts of Theo Liam has left.

• • •

The drive to Deaton’s clinic is awfully quiet except for the low volume of alternative rock music coming from the radio. Liam decided against changing the radio station because it was Theo’s favorite music genre and the songs were good.

_ Coming down _

_ One love, two mouths _

_ One love, one house _

_ No shirt, no blouse _

_ Just us, you find out _

_ Nothing that I wouldn't wanna tell you about, no no _

The lyrics to  _ Sweater Weather by The Neighbourhood  _ is cut short when Liam parks the truck in front of the clinic. He, along with Mason and Corey, walks inside the building. Deaton lifts his gaze from the clipboard in his hand and raises his eyebrows at the three of them. “Shouldn’t you be in school?” He asks.

“Why does everyone always ask us that?” Liam scoffs and rolls his eyes.

Deaton frowns and cocks his head. “It’s your senior year. You should be focused on graduating.” He informs the beta as if it’s  _ obvious. _

“Well, I can’t really concentrate when Theo’s missing,” Liam argues and  _ that _ catches Deaton’s attention when he sets his clipboard down.

“Theo’s missing?” Deaton shakes his head and sighs. “I told him this was a pack problem, but I should’ve known he was going to go in alone. He has a tendency to figure things out on his own.”

“You know something?” Liam asks and steps forward. It was more out of curiosity, but his friends must’ve thought he was going to threaten Deaton by the way they tensed. “Do you know how we can get him back?” He asks with rising hope.

“I know what we’re up against. How to get Theo back? It’s more complicated than you think.” Deaton informs them while walking into the backroom with Liam, Mason, and Corey following behind him. “The creature is called a Djinn. They can knock you unconscious with a single touch. Obviously with your werewolf abilities it’ll take a lot more energy, but Theo isn’t a werewolf.”

“He’s a chimera,” Corey says slowly. Liam can feel the anxiety coming from him, and he knows why. Corey is just as vulnerable as any other human. Liam is the only one with an advantage, but it doesn’t stop him from worrying about himself.

“He’s easier to capture, and considering his backstory, it’s going to be a lot harder for him to get out of his coma,” Deaton explains.

“Speaking of, the girls Theo rescued are still in a coma. Parrish and Stilinski told us they’re in good health and shouldn’t even be in a coma.” Mason points out. “Why won’t they wake up?”

“They’re trapped in a fantasy universe with their deepest desires. To be able to wake them up you’ll have to go inside their minds. You need Scott to do this.” Deaton turns his attention to Liam. “It’s highly important for an alpha with experience to do this. One wrong move and they’ll be trapped forever.”

Liam grabs his cellphone from the pocket of his denim jeans and stares down at the dimly lit screen. “You said it’s going to be harder for Theo to get out of his coma. Why? How are you so sure of that?” Liam asks in an anxious tone while looking back at the vet.

Deaton gives Liam a sad smile. “He has a dark past. He never learned to be a normal teenager until you pulled him out of hell, but he’s still struggling now. Tell me, boys. What would you do if you were placed in a reality where everything is perfect? You’re surrounded by your loved ones, there’s no danger around you, you have your dream job, and you’re with your soulmate. You’re happy.”

Liam thinks about Deaton’s question, but he didn’t need to. He knew his answer. “I would stay.” He murmurs.  _ I wouldn’t blame Theo if he stayed. Who wouldn’t want to? _

“But what if they’re alive and in a coma right now? In real-time? It must be a trick. Like they’re dreaming.” Mason suggests because it does sound too good to be true.

“Correct. The hallucinations of the fantasy keep them under until the Djinn drains them of their blood, and inevitably, they die.” Deaton continues.

“So you’re saying the longer Theo is stuck in his head the less time we have until he dies?” Corey asks with a hitched breath.

Deaton sighs. “Unfortunately, yes, but the tricky part isn’t finding him. It’s getting him to wake up. The more damage a person is the less likely they’ll want to be pulled out of their fake reality. I’ve been doing my research ever since Theo came to me last night.” He points at his bulletin board filled with every piece of information he can gather about Djinns.

“No use in wasting time. Liam, call Scott. We need him to wake the girls up so we can figure out where this creature is. Maybe they can point us to the right direction?” Mason suggests, and Liam nods dumbly as he fiddles with his phone. His hands start to shake as he accesses his contact list and calls Scott’s number.

He doesn’t want to think about the possibility of Theo dying, but he doesn’t know what’s worse. Losing his anchor to death or to a fake reality. The phone rings against his ear as he waits for Scott to answer. The alpha answers on the third ring.

“Liam?”

“Scott.” Liam chokes up when he feel tears welling up in his eyes. The realization of how he might lose Theo finally settling in.

“Hey, I’m here. What’s wrong?” Scott asks gently.

“We- _ I _ need your help. Please, Scott. I-I c-can’t-” Liam cuts himself off and swallows past the lump in his throat.

_ I can’t lose Theo. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be more entertaining to add photos in the fic, but it’s probably an excuse to show the pictures on my camera roll haha.


	3. Picture Perfect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny story. I finished this chapter a while ago, but I didn’t have the energy to go over it before posting it. Anyway, here’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for— Theo’s fantasy universe.

  
  
Flashes of memories race behind Theo’s closed eyelids, but they aren’t his memories. Are they? No, he would remember...He would remember...Wait- what was he suppose to remember? What’s happening?

The immense throbbing pain in his head is the first thing Theo feels when he regains consciousness. It feels like his head is being split open because two versions of himself are clashing together, trying to take over. He can barely think straight and it takes him a while to comprehend where he is. A soft groan escapes his chapped and cracked lips as he brings a hand to his head. He slowly sits up from the cold metal table underneath him, and his eyes flutter open in time to see Liam burst through the door, taking it off its hinges. The deafening noise echoes throughout the silent room, eliciting a wince from Theo.

“Theo!” Liam’s body sags in relief, and he jumps on the table, settling himself onto Theo’s lap and wrapping his arms around him in a tight hug. The bone-crushing hug knocks the wind out of Theo’s chest. “You had me so worried.” Liam whines.

“C-can’t breathe,” Theo stutters. Liam loosens his hold and has the grace to look sheepish, mouthing a quiet ‘sorry’ before settling his head on Theo’s heaving chest.

Theo reluctantly wraps his arms around Liam’s waist as he tries to collect his thoughts. He hasn’t hugged Liam in so long. He almost forgot how it feels like to hold the boy soothingly. It still feels as amazing as before, and he can feel a smile tug on his lips.

The headache is gone in an instant, but he’s distracted by Liam’s heartbeat rising momentarily before settling back to a normal thud. The older boy pulls away in time to see the black veins disappearing from Liam’s arm. The beta smiles at him. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I was going crazy without you by my side,” he admits. He cups Theo’s face and runs the pads of his thumbs across his cheekbones.

Now that the agonizing pain is gone the memories from last night start to come back to Theo. He was knocked out by the Djinn. _Shit, did I lose him?_ “What happened? The Djinn?” He starts to panic as he grabs Liam’s arms.

“You saved the town. You found the Djinn, and Parrish helped to lock him up in Eichen House. You took a pretty bad blow to your head.” Liam moves his hand to cup the back of Theo’s head. He snatches his hand back when the older boy winces. “Sorry,” Liam whispers.

No, that can’t be right. From what he can remember, the Djinn did something to him. His eyes and tattoos were glowing. He did _something_ to him, and he’s remembering Deaton’s words on what the Djinn does. Its purpose is to lure humans into their fantasy world so he can drink their blood and kill them. Theo isn’t...exactly human, but he’s also not a real werewolf...

Theo feels...different here. He feels an unknown power coursing through his veins. A stronger power he’s always craved since the Dread Doctors. A power he wanted to kill for, but it feels so _wrong._ It’s a feeling of something he can’t explain. Deaton’s words circle his head. _This isn’t real. This isn’t real. Is it?_ Theo stares into Liam’s eyes filled with emotion the older boy refuses to identify. Every feeling. He moves his hands down Liam’s arms. Tangible. Every touch. His fingers curl into Liam’s sides, eliciting a giggle from the beta. Every detail seems so realistic.

Brett emerges from the doorway and shoots a smile at the pair, pulling Theo from his thoughts. If he seems weirded out about the position they’re in, he doesn’t mention it or simply doesn’t care. Theo and Liam have indeed gotten closer since the beta pulled him out of hell, but they’re not _that_ close. “Glad to know you’re okay.” Brett walks forward and slides his hand onto Theo’s shoulder, squeezing gently. Another weird gesture. He doesn’t remember Brett ever touching him in a friendly manner, yet a couple of memories flash in Theo’s mind.

Memories of Brett shaking his hand, giving him a fist pump, _hugging_ him, and gripping his arm tightly to save him from a rogue omega. Theo never had to deal with a rogue omega...

Liam smiles brightly at Theo. “You even had _Brett_ worried.” He giggles. That beautiful noise coming from the beta on his lap brings a reluctant smile to Theo’s face.

Theo glances between the two with a look of disbelief on his face. For once, Liam isn’t going feral and being two seconds away from wanting to rip Brett’s head off. All Theo’s ever wanted was for the two to get along ever since he gained an unexpected friendship with Brett. Liam was _not_ happy when he found about them, but he didn’t tell Theo to stop being friends with him. Brett was one of the few people who actually liked Theo, so he was glad for a new friend. Still, everything seems so _weird._ He’s still thinking about if it’s real since nothing seems _too_ out of the ordinary, but why does he feel wrong? Why is Liam so close to him? _Why is he looking at me like that?_ Why are Liam and Brett so nice to each other? Is it because he was almost left for dead by the Djinn?

 _This can’t be real._ Theo is going hysterical. So many of his thoughts and memories don’t make sense to him. They’re all jumbled up together.

“Are you okay? You’re quiet,” Liam says in a low voice. He pushes a strand of brown hair from Theo’s face and stares at him with so much _worry._

Theo nods. “Yeah. Just trying to remember what happened last night.” He hopes they can’t hear his heartbeat skyrocket but they’re both werewolves. They can hear his heartbeat without needing to, but thankfully, they don’t mention it. That doesn’t stop them from looking at him with worried expressions on their faces, showing their solicitude. It’s suffocating him, and he has to look away.

“Don’t strain yourself. Rest.” Brett smiles at him and pats his shoulder before leaving the room. The warmth of his hand still lingers on Theo’s shoulder, and the boy touches over it absently 

“The rest of the pack left since school is still in session.” Liam averts Theo’s gaze. “But Corey’s outside waiting for you.”

It takes a moment for Theo to realize what Liam said. “You skipped school? It’s your senior year!” He shakes his head and sighs. “How many times do I have to tell you to not skip your classes?” He scowls at the beta like a strict parent.

“I was worried about you!” Liam protests and pouts. “But I promised Mason when you wake up I’ll go back to school. It’s the middle of first period, and what about Corey and Brett?! They didn’t go to school,” he scowls.

“Corey has Mason to bitch at him, and Brett has Lori. _You_ have me, but it just seems I’m more strict on you. Come on, we’re taking you to school.” Theo encourages Liam to slide off his lap, and he plants his feet on the floor. He grips the edge of the table as he slides off the surface and looks around the area, realizing he’s been in Deaton’s clinic the whole time.

“Brett’s taking me to school. Corey’s staying to watch over you,” Liam explains, stopping Theo by a hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Theo rolls his eyes. _Ridiculous, really. What’s Corey gonna do?_

“He’s just going to be by your side in case you need anything. You were out for a whole day, Theo! We were worried about you, okay? Please don’t fight us on this.” Liam looks up at Theo with wide eyes. The corner of his lips tugs downwards into a small frown. Even the little crease between his eyebrows look so darn cute. Theo heavily sighs.

“Okay, okay. Brett will take you to school, and Corey will take me to my truck.” Theo nods, already planning on how he’s going to ditch Corey and get to Eichen House. If he’s fast enough, he’ll be able to push him off his truck and break a couple of speed limits.

“Corey’s taking you home, and he’s going to be driving,” Liam firmly says. _Well, shit. There goes my solid proof plan._ _Wait- did Liam say home?_

“Home?” Theo questions. He has never called anything his home. Not since the Dread Doctors took him away from his family. _Where is home?_

“Yes, home. Our home.” Liam smiles and intertwines their fingers, squeezing the older boy’s hand gently.

“Our home,” Theo tentatively says, trying to sort through his memories. His ‘home’ would be his truck. “Am I missing something? Since when do _we_ have a home? Since when did I have a home?” The last question is more to himself when he whispers it, feeling the horrid panic feeling bubbling in his chest. _Home._

Liam furrows his eyebrows in confusion and frowns. “Since we met,” he explains. “When I was bit by Scott, and he put you in charge of me. Ring any bells?”

“What?” Theo asks in confusion. No, that doesn’t sound right. He didn’t meet Liam when he was bitten. Why would Scott trust him with his beta in the first place? He was the one who kept pressuring Liam into sending him back. Back to _Hell._

The memories start to resurface the more he thinks about it.

_The earthly scent was strong in the air, surrounding the boys with a comfortable embrace as if they belonged there. In the woods. The soft breeze passed through Theo’s icy cold face. The sun shining through the gloomy clouds wasn’t enough to keep him warm._

_“Liam’s worth eight million now, and I can’t protect everyone. I need your help, Theo,” Scott said. Pleading dark brown eyes started up at him along with the scent reeking of anxiety and his hands clasped together in front of him. “Your price went up too. You’re at 15 million. More will come after you. He will watch your back.”_

_“Watch my back?” Theo scoffed. “The kid’s a walking time bomb. I’m fine on my own, Scotty.” He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his hoodie._

_“Really?” Scott quirked an eyebrow at Theo with a small frown tugging on his lips. “You’ve been living in your truck since Derek bailed on you. At least you’ll have a place to stay with Liam. Just do this for me please? Just until the deadpool is over.”_

_Theo glanced over where Liam stood beside them a few yards away, leaning against a large tree that danced with the wind. He has his back towards them, trying his best to not listen in, but Theo can tell he is by the tensed posture and elevated heartbeat. He looked so young and fragile compared to the professional assassins who were out to get them for money. He had barely started his high school experience, getting another chance at having a better future. Now he needed to learn control. Theo looked back at Scott and deflated. “Fine. Just until the deadpool is over.”_

_Scott smiled at him. “Thank you.”_

_When the deadpool was gone, Theo stayed with Liam._

The memories of staying with the Dread Doctors vanish from his mind, being replaced by a blockage. Every time Theo tries to prod and poke at it his mind comes up empty. He feels like a part of him is gone. A piece missing from a complicated jigsaw puzzle that makes up his life.

“Are you sure you’re okay? I think the Djinn did do something to you.” Liam rubs Theo’s back and leans his head on his shoulder. Oh, Theo likes the intimacy very much. “Do I have to stay back?”

“No.” Theo shakes his head, trying to clear his mind. “It’s fine. I’ll...I’ll be okay. The Djinn must’ve done something to my memories. You need to get back to school.”

“Okay, but call me if anything.” Liam lifts his head to look at Theo. “Promise?”

Theo nods in agreement. “Promise, but you don’t have to worry about me, Little Wolf.”

“Not an option. I always worry.” Liam leans in and plants a chaste kiss on Theo’s cheek. The older boy freezes in his spot, but Liam’s unaffected by the gesture. “I’ll see you after school.” He squeezes Theo’s hand before letting go and leaving the room.

All Theo can think is _what the fuck? Liam kissed me. He kissed my cheek. Do friends do that? He never kissed my cheek before. He’s not_ **_this_ ** _touchy._ He brings a hand to his face and touches the spot Liam’s lips were a few seconds ago. A smile overcomes his face, and it takes him a while to pull himself together. He does when Corey is the next person to walk in through the door. “Ready to go?” He asks.

Theo blinks and lifts his head to look at Corey. “Yeah, Yeah.” He pushes himself off of the table and follows Corey out of the clinic. Deaton isn’t there to meet up with him, which he finds odd since the man never leaves the clinic. Deaton’s always found in the building unless he announces he’s traveling to another country for a dangerous mission he never talks about.

Theo’s truck comes into view when they walk through the front entrance. It looks the same except for how shiny and clean it is, almost new. Dried up dirt and other substances Theo didn’t want to name didn’t litter the vehicle. The bullet holes made by hunters and the claw marks made by members of the pack (sometimes by himself) are gone. Replaced with new scraps of metal and a coat of navy blue paint.

Theo lays his hand flat against the car door and looks over his truck with amazement in his gaze. He steps back and opens the door, clambering into the vehicle and settling himself on the passenger’s seat while Corey sits in the driver’s seat. The car rumbles to life and they head to _Theo’s_ home. It’s weird to think he has a home when he’s been homeless and felt like he had to watch his back every five minutes. Home is safety and security. He’s never felt safe in his life. The more he thinks about it- the more the feeling is fading away into nothingness. As if he’s forgetting.

“What’s on your mind?” Corey asks, turning to look at Theo then back at the road.

“I...don’t know. My memories are all over the place.” Theo frowns and curls his fingers into his dark brown hair, pulling at the strands. “Nothing makes sense. It feels like I don’t belong here.”

Corey’s silent for a while but Theo can sense the boy’s emotions and sees the way his fingers tighten around the steering wheel. “But you do. You belong here.” He reassures him. The tone of his voice and his next exhale makes Theo think if Corey had to reassure him so many times.

He doesn’t remember Corey doing such a thing. He doesn’t even remember knowing Corey knew how to drive.

“That’s not what I meant.” Theo leans his forehead against the cool glass, looking out through the passing trees. “I don’t belong in this universe.” He sighs. _I sound insane._ “I don’t know how to explain it.”

“That’s the vaguest explanation I’ve ever heard. Good job,” Corey says, earning a heated glare from Theo.

“It’s like I’ve lived two lives, and my mind is being split into two. They’re trying to merge, and the only way to do it is to forget one of my lives. I’m losing my memories. My real memories from my _real_ life. This isn’t real. Oh, fuck. This isn’t real.” Now that Theo’s saying it out loud he’s freaking the fuck _out._

“Stop the car!” Theo screams, startling Corey and making the truck swerve.

“What?! Why? Theo, you’re scaring me.” Corey turns scared eyes towards him, but he continues to drive.

“You need to take me to the Djinn. The Djinn! He did something to me.” Theo tugs on the strands of his hair and rub his forehead with the pads of his fingers.

“No! Are you crazy? We can’t go to Eichen House! Remember the last time we went there? I was on fire, and Scott growled at me! I’m taking you to your house,” Corey says firmly.

“I don’t have a house,” Theo mumbles, shaking his head. Why isn’t Corey listening to him? From what he can remember, Corey would leave him for dead. Would rather want to come out alive than risk his life for Theo.

 _No, no, no._ The memories of him and Corey from his real-life are slipping through his fingers and barricading them away from his mind. He needs to focus. _Focus, Theo!_

He revived Corey, Tracy, Josh, and Hayden. They formed a chimera pack. He was their alpha. Not the best alpha, but none the less he was their leader. They went to Eichen House to get Lydia. They—

Theo groans in frustration when the memory vanishes. He can’t even remember what he was thinking about! Instead of the chimera pack, Theo went with Scott and Liam to retrieve Lydia. To save her from Dr. Valack. Tracy, Josh, and Hayden stayed dead. Corey was the only chimera to survive from the Dread Doctors because of Theo. Theo _saved_ him.

“Yes! You do have a house. I don’t know what the Djinn did to you, but trust me when I say this is real. You have a family. You have a pack. Theo, you’re the alpha,” Corey says through the fog of Theo’s mind.

The boy tenses the moment Corey uttered the last word. _Alpha._ He’s the alpha? Is that what made him feel so different? Feel powerful? He’s...he’s a real werewolf?

Corey stops the truck and Theo stumbles out of the vehicle with cautious steps toward _his_ house. No, his and _Liam’s._ The boy wrenches the door open and runs up the stairs to the bathroom. The house structure is still the same, but it smells and looks different. There’s a mixture of scents that belong to him, Liam, Corey, Mason, Brett, and other scents he can’t define.

Theo shuts the door behind him and turns on the faucet. He cups his hands together under the water to let it pool on his palms before splashing his face with cold water. He twists the faucet off and flicks his gaze to the mirror. Droplets of water run down his face and land on the sink with wet plops. He grips the edges of the sink and digs his claws into the marble, ignoring the loud screeching noises. He takes a deep breath and flashes his eyes.

 _They’re blood red_.

_Pain, Pain, Pain. Hot pain. That’s all he felt when Deucalion drove his claws into Theo and left him on the dirty ground._

_“Theo! Help! Please, help me,” Liam’s voice felt deafening in the silent barn. He thrashed and squirmed in Deucalion's hold, sinking his claws into the alpha’s skin and flashing his yellow eyes._

_“You think he’s going to save you? Please, the two of you barely nicked me,” Deucalion said, his voice ending in laughter. He squeezed his hold around Liam’s neck, effectively blocking out the beta’s windpipe._

_Theo sprung into action the moment he heard Liam’s heartbeat drop without getting oxygen into his system. “Liam!” Theo shouted, standing from his position. He winced and held his abdominal area where the four claw marks are. His shirt was soaked with blood, and the thick metallic scent in the air irritated his nose._

_“Say bye-bye to your precious beta, Theo. I told you stabbing me in the back will lead to your downfall.” Deucalion grinned at Theo before turning his attention on Liam._

_In a fit of rage, Theo surged forward and drove his claws straight into Deucalion’s back. The alpha gasped in surprise, releasing his hold on Liam and dropping the beta. Theo didn’t waste any time in raising his other hand and slashing Deucalion’s throat with his claws. A spray of dark red blood soaked his shirt and droplets of it landed on his face and neck. He inhaled deeply, feeling the new source of power surging through his veins as he watched the life drain out of Deucalion’s eyes. He retracted his claws and let the body crumble to the floor. The wound on his abdominal area knitted back together and healed instantly._

_Theo twisted around and dropped down on his knees to tend to Liam’s wounds. “Liam! Hey, hey. You’re going to be okay,” he murmured. He cupped the beta’s cheeks and smiled in relief when Liam opened his eyes to gaze at him._

_“You’re the alpha now,” Liam whispered. His eyes were wide and gazing at Theo like he held the moon. Despite being covered in blood, he was still the most beautiful image Theo ever had the privilege to stare at._

_Theo nodded. “I’m the alpha.” He flashed his red eyes at Liam._

A knock on the door brings Theo from his thoughts. The red drains from his eyes and they turn back to their normal green. He retracts his hands from their hold on the sink and takes several deep breaths until his claws go away. He turns around and opens the door to see Corey standing on the other side with his hand raised. The younger boy lowers his arm and smiles at him. “You okay?” He asks.

“No, I’m not okay,” Theo growls. “I— _fuck._ I’m an alpha.”

Corey glances at him worriedly and frowns. “What do you remember?” He asks.

“I’m a chimera, like you. I tried to take Scott’s power and his pack, but I couldn’t because I’m not a real werewolf. I can’t even take an alpha’s power.” Theo pushes Corey out of the way to get through the hallway and rush down the stairs. “Then I got sent to Hell, and Liam brought me back.” He starts to pace around the living room.

Everything’s so different here. There are picture frames, artwork, and quotes covering the walls. Theo can’t see what kind of pictures there are or what the quotes say through his haze. There are even Thanksgiving decorations up! Liam’s house was plain and empty. He remembered it correctly. “He brought me back to help with the Ghost Riders then Monroe’s hunters came. Liam and I fought side by side.”

_I fell in love with him._

“Now I live in my truck. I help Liam with his living situation after his parents left. _That’s_ my life. This...This isn’t my life.” Theo shakes his head and curls his hands into tight fists.

The Djinn really did give him everything he wanted. A home, becoming a werewolf and being the alpha of his own pack, but wait...did that mean he had Liam? Is that the reason why the beta kissed him on the cheek?

“Theo, I don’t know what exactly the Djinn showed you, but _none_ of that happened,” Corey reassures him from behind him. “You’re Derek’s beta.”

_“The bite’s a gift,” Derek told him. “And you’re my beta now. You, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd will look out for each other. You will learn to fight as a pack. Having second thoughts?” He arched an eyebrow._

_Theo looked up from where he was staring at the ground and shook his head. “No.” He smirked. “Just thinking about how I’m gonna kick your ass at this shady ass training session.”_

_Derek grinned. “I like your confidence, Theo. You’ll do good, but I need perfection.”_

_Theo shrugged. “I’m the best you got. Haven’t you noticed? I’m the only one who managed to beat the true alpha and take a swing at the ugly ass kanima. What did your other betas do? Get their ass kicked,” he scoffed._

“You and Scott are _friends._ You would never take his power or pack.”

_“Why are you doing this? Thought you didn’t like me,” Stiles pointed out. He groaned and winced when he laid down on the bed with the help of Theo._

_“I don’t,” Theo retorted. “I’m doing this for Scott. I owe him, and if that means babysitting you after the nogitsune then so be it,” he murmured. He really hated this, but he owed it to Scott and their newfound friendship. Without him, Theo would be dead in a ditch because of the nogitsune._

_“Huh, you really have changed. I’m still not forgiving you for beating up Scott though,” Stiles pointed out with a suspicious glare._

_“I don’t expect you to. Plus, he kinda deserved it.” Theo grinned with a glint of devilry._

“You never got sent to Hell.” Corey steps up beside Theo and places a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t you remember the Ghost Riders? When they took you as one of their first victims? Liam was so distraught and did everything in his power to remember you and get you back.”

_“I won’t ever forget about you, Theo.” Liam cried softly, salty tears streaming down his cheeks, and gripped Theo’s hands in his. “Let’s go. Just drive. We’ll run away from this place. You and me. Nothing good comes from this town anyway.”_

_“You know I can’t do that.” Theo intertwined their fingers and smiled at the beta. He leaned in and kissed him, cupping Liam’s cheek and stroking his cheekbone with his thumb. “Just remember I love you,” he whispered against Liam’s lips and leaned back to stare into the watery blue eyes. It was the last thing he saw before being ripped away from Liam’s grasp and dragged out of the truck by the Ghost Riders._

_“Theo!”_

Theo squeezes his eyes shut and lets out a shaky breath. The memories were becoming more intense, and the longer he stays in this place the more he’s going to forget his real life. “I—I can’t do this, Corey. I don’t belong here,” he whispers.

“You belong here,” Corey firmly says yet again and takes another step forward. “But if I can’t convince you then maybe Liam can.”

“Liam?” Theo reluctantly asks. If he sees Liam...if they are together then Theo won’t be able to leave. He can’t see Liam. He _can’t._ He needs to go back.

“Theo?” Liam asks from the front doorway. He steps inside and closes the door behind him. “Corey texted me, and I came as soon as I could. What’s wrong?” He steps forward and cups Theo’s cheeks.

Theo breathes in shaky and leans into Liam’s touch. It feels so good to be held this way. Oh, how he wishes it was real. “I can’t stay here, Liam,” he whispers.

“What are you talking about? Yes, you can. Theo, what’s wrong?” Liam asks with a frown.

“This isn’t real. It’s the Djinn. The Djinn is doing this,” Theo tells him. He tries to pull away from Liam but the beta tightens his hold. Then again, Theo didn’t put up much of a fight because of how _weak_ he gets when it comes to Liam’s tender touches.

“This is real. I’m real. We’re real. We are.”

“No! I can’t…Liam, please. Don’t make it harder than it is.” Theo closes his eyes and sways towards the younger boy’s warmth. _Fuck, was Liam’s scent always this strong? This alluring?_ He can feel every emotion Liam’s going through by how strong his scent is becoming.

“Don’t leave. Don’t go,” Liam desperately pleads. “We need you here. I need you here.” His voice comes out in a whisper. Liam sniffles and sobs softly, startling Theo.

Theo opens his eyes and frowns at Liam’s watery eyes. “I have to.” His voice cracks from emotion. He _needs_ to leave but his feet are rooted to the spot. He can’t seem to move under Liam’s intense gaze.

“You can. I love you, Theo.” Liam smiles. Theo’s stunned into silence as the beta leans in and kisses him. He secures his arms around the older boy’s neck and pulls him in until every inch of their bodies is touching. Liam’s lips feel _soft._ Delicate even, and Theo’s too weak not to give in. His heart is thudding against his chest loud enough for the beta to feel from how close they are.

A swarm of memories comes spiraling in. Memories of him and Liam together. Their first kiss under the stars after the Beast was annihilated. Their first date at the town’s fair. Their first time making love to each other. Theo’s first ‘I love you’ before he was taken by the Ghost Riders. Liam’s first ‘I love you’ the moment they were reunited.

Liam pulls away from the kiss and grabs Theo’s hand, guiding him up the stairs and into his bedroom. Theo can’t do anything but follow him. Always following him. Liam backs him up until the back of his knees hit the bed. Theo easily falls onto the bed, bouncing slightly from the impact. Liam follows him right after and straddles his waist.

“Just relax. Think about me,” Liam whispers. He cups Theo’s face and leans in, continuing their kiss. It’s still so perfect to kiss Liam, and Theo wants more of it. He wants all of him, but…

No, Theo can’t do this. He can’t stay here if it isn’t real. Every part of himself is screaming at him to bail. To save himself and _wake up from this fantasy._ His wolf howls and scratches at the surface, trying to break free and take over. He feels his claws prickle at Liam’s skin where he’s gripping his arms and has to refrain his fangs from dropping and cutting the boy. A low growl rumbles from his chest when Liam pulls away. The beta smiles at him and cards his fingers through Theo’s hair, occasionally dragging his nails against his scalp. It feels _so good._

It’s so hard to focus when Liam’s giving him so much attention and tending to his sensitive spots. Theo has to go find the Djinn or Deaton and try to figure out how to go back. He needs to go back to his real life. Back to _his_ Liam. He needs to go back. He needs to go back. He needs to go— He needs to— He needs—

Wait, what was he thinking about?


	4. You Give Me Anxiety

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally an update on this fic. I really wanted to continue it, but I forgot my notebook (where I have my outline) at home. I was away from home for 2 weeks, but I'm here now. This chapter is Liam-centric, but the next chapter will be Theo-centric. Thank you for being patient, and please leave a couple of comments if you want. I love hearing from my readers. <3
> 
> The previous chapter name "Picture Perfect" was inspired by the song "Take It Out On Me" by Thousand Foot Krutch. This chapter's name "You Give Me Anxiety" is inspired by "anxiety" by blackbear. You should definitely give these two songs a listen because they remind me so much of Thiam.

Liam checks his cellphone for the umpteenth time within the fifteen minutes they’ve been at the hospital. He clutches the device close to his heaving chest that’s bursting with anxiety and paces around in the waiting room. He doesn’t bother hiding his chemosignals that’s causing Corey to shift uncomfortably in his seat ever so often from sharing Liam’s anxiety. Mason doesn’t look any better and had given up on pestering Liam to sit down and relax.

At this point, Liam’s sure he’s burning holes in the ground by how much he’s pacing. He shoves his cellphone in the pocket of his- _Theo’s_ hoodie and starts to pull at his hair, plucking out a few loose strands from the stress.

Two days. It’s been two full days with no sign of Theo and no idea where he could be held at. They had to sit on their asses and wait for Scott to arrive who promised to drive to Beacon Hills as soon as possible. Scott suggested they call Stiles for help as well, and after informing him of what happened, the boy took the next flight to California. They were getting help, but they were losing a lot of time. Who knows how much time Theo has before the Djinn drains him of his blood. Knowing he’s a chimera and having the ability to heal faster than an ordinary human being soothes Liam’s nerves, just a little, but he isn’t as strong as a werewolf.

Liam stops in his tracks at the sound of the entrance doors opening. He twists around and stares down in the direction of the opening doors, startling a woman when they make eye contact. She cowers away from his glare and shuffles down the hallway with her head lowered.

“Liam! You’re freaking everyone out. Sit down,” Mason snaps and stands from his seat to grab Liam’s arm to tug him away. The beta huffs in frustration and lets Mason drag him to sit down on the empty chair beside him. He slumps in his seat and drops his head back against the wall with a feeble thud.

A sigh passes through Liam’s swollen lips from where he was constantly chewing on the skin. A gesture he always does when feeling intense emotions. “Scott should be here,” Liam mumbles.

“I know. You said that two minutes ago,” Mason points out and rubs his temples in an attempt to get rid of the forming headache due to Liam’s anxious energy.

“Why isn’t he here?” Liam asks and bounces his leg. He jumps when Mason slams his hand down on his thigh, gaining a couple of glances due to the commotion. Mason ignores the onlookers and fixes his annoyed look on Liam.

“I don’t know as I said a minute ago,” Mason snaps, his voice taut with irritation. He closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths before looking back at Liam and moving his hand to grasp his shoulder. “Look…” He shifts in his seat to fully face the beta.

Liam pulls on a loose thread on his jeans and reluctantly lifts his gaze to look up into his best friend’s eyes. Upon seeing the distraught and teary-eyed expression Liam has, Mason’s face crumples, and he gives him a sad smile, speaking so many words without verbally saying them. Realization. Understanding. “I get it,” Mason whispers. Acceptance. He lifts his hand to place it on Liam’s chest, over his heart and grasps the soft fabric. Theo’s hoodie.

“I would feel the same if it was Corey,” Mason whispers so quietly if it weren’t for Liam’s wolf heightening his senses he wouldn’t have heard him.

_I would feel the same if it was Corey._

Realization. Understanding. Acceptance. _I get it._

Oh.

Liam feels his eyes well up in tears and drops his forehead on Mason’s shoulder. He melts into his best friend’s touch with his next exhale. Mason moves to wrap his arms around the trembling boy.

“I failed him,” Liam whispers, his voice cracking from sadness. “Mason, I failed him.”

“No, no you didn’t.” Mason shakes his head as he rubs Liam’s back.

“He’s gone,” Liam says in a small voice. A couple of tears streamed down his face and landed on Mason’s shirt, soaking the fabric.

“We’ll find him,” Mason promises. Liam wishes he has the strength to believe him.

Of all the times Liam was ready to accept his feelings, it had to be when Theo was taken away from him. Leaving him to yearn for the boy and drown in his appetency. Their time ended before it began. His best friend finally figured out Liam’s feelings were anything but platonic towards Theo, and now? Now the time’s ticking.

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

The sound of the clocks around him felt deafening in the waiting room, almost as if they were in his head. Reminding him of time slipping away from his fingertips, taunting him; _Theo doesn’t have much time left._

Liam squeezes his eyes shut and blocks out his hearing to give him relief from the loud ticking. He racks his brain for the mantra. _Three things cannot long be hidden: The sun, the moon, the truth._

_“Time is an illusion. If I want ice cream at three AM. I will get ice cream at three AM.”_

And all at once, the hospital grows silent when Liam thinks about his anchor. Theo.

_Liam peeked at him from under the covers of his bed and groaned at the sight of a smirking Theo in the middle of his bedroom. “I don’t wanna go.” He whined and pulled the comforter over his head to block out the bright light._

_He heard a snort coming from the other boy then had the covers ripped from his grasp. He yelped when the cold air hit his warm body. He scrambled to stand up and tugged the blanket away from Theo. “It’s cold! Why do you want ice cream in this weather?” He scoffed and wrapped the fluffy blanket around his body._

_“You’re the same way.” Theo rolled his eyes and tucked the blanket over Liam’s head. “You look like a hobo,” he joked, his mischievous smirk only growing bigger by the second. Liam really wanted to punch his stupid smug face._

_“Just shut up.” Liam groaned and flopped down on the bed._

_Theo crawled on top of Liam and stared down at him with wide eyes. Liam’s lips parted in a feeble gasp at the closeness between their faces, mere inches apart. He could practically feel the heat radiating off of the boy and smell his masculine scent; leather, jasmine, and sweet apples. A scent he grew to love already. They stared at each other for a solid minute that felt like hours when Theo finally broke the trance._

_“Let’s go!” Theo, filled with calmness and unaffected by invading Liam’s personal space, stood up from the bed and yanked the blanket away from the younger boy in his moment of panic. They were so close he could almost kiss him._

_Liam covered his face with his hands, to hide the forming blush, and let out a muffled groan. “Fine. We’ll go get your stupid ice cream.”_

Liam feels himself smiling into Mason’s shoulder at the memory. One of the _many_ happy memories he shares with Theo. He relaxes into Mason’s hold and gets stuck in his head filled with Theo. Memories of him and all the times he really wanted to lean in and kiss the boy. Make him realize how much Liam wants him.

How much Liam loves him.

Scott’s scent reaches his senses, pulling Liam away from his thoughts and standing on instinct at the presence of his alpha. Scott walks through the double doors, followed by Stiles, and smiles at the sight of his beta. Liam smiles back at him and walks up to him, immediately wrapping him in a hug.

Scott wraps his arm around Liam’s waist and cradles his head with his other hand, smoothing down his long hairs. For a fraction of a second, Liam feels Scott tense in his hold and senses the confusion coming from him, but he’s quick to hide his chemosignals before Liam can comprehend why. It doesn’t matter now. The comfort of his alpha is enough to calm Liam. He closes his eyes and breathes in Scott’s scent, nuzzling into his flannel momentarily before pulling away. “It’s so good to see you,” he tells Scott.

“It’s good to see you too.” Scott rubs soothing circles into Liam’s shoulder then lets his arm fall by his side. Stiles steps up beside him and pulls Liam in for a bone-crushing hug.

“You got us worried, little man,” Stiles murmurs. “Thought something happened to you.”

Liam pats Stiles’s back and smiles into his shoulder. “I’m okay.” _For now._ He tries to ignore the intruding thoughts of ‘what if we don’t find Theo?’

“What do you need me to do?” Scott asks, immediately getting to the point. It isn’t hard to decipher Liam’s mood when he’s been moping for the last two days.

Liam pulls away from Stiles’s embrace to turn his attention back to Scott. “There are two comatose patients in room one sixteen. You gotta do the alpha thing.” He gestures vaguely to Scott’s body, but all Scott does is stare back at him with a blank expression. Liam exhales roughly through his nose. “To get into someone’s mind. With the claws?” He points out.

“Oh, right.” Scott nods. “They can’t wake up?”

Liam nods and turns around to lead Scott and Stiles to the room who are followed by Mason and Corey. “A creature called a Djinn captured them,” he informs the older boy while picking up his pace. “He put them in this fantasy world with everything they could wish for. A perfect life. The only way to wake them up is to get inside their mind.”

Scott soaks up the information he’s given with a thoughtful look, and they enter the room. Deaton greats Scott and Stiles with a nod and a smile. “Scott, Stiles. Nice to see you’re well.”

“I wish circumstances were different to see each other again,” Scott admits, returning the smile. Stiles gives Deaton a salute as a greeting. Scott glances down at the two girls laying on the bed with IVs connected to their arms. “Do I just use my claws?” He asks reluctantly, and Liam can sense his nervousness. “What am I supposed to do when I’m in their head?”

“Talk to them,” Deaton says. “The only way for them to get out of this fantasy world is to die. They’re the ones that have to do it. They have to choose to end their fantasy to come back to the real world. One wrong move and they’ll be gone forever,” he explains.

Scott looks skeptical at first, but his expression hardens into one of determination as he walks up to one of the girls. He lays a hand on her arm with concentration, most likely trying to feel if she’s in any pain. Liam almost whimpers with relief when Scott’s arms are free from black veins. As if reading his mind, Mason wraps an arm around his shoulders. _Theo isn’t in any pain._ Scott tilts her head to the side and moves her dark curls away to reveal her pale neck. His claws prickle at the back of her neck, and he takes a deep breath to steady himself before plunging his claws into her skin. The girl gasps weakly, and Scott’s eyes flutter shut.

Liam bounces in his position and paces back and forth in the room, being too restless to stand still. He’s stopped by Stiles’s hand on his shoulder, and the boy levels him with a glare. “I’m human, and I can _feel_ your anxiety. It’s suffocating,” he rebukes.

“Sorry.” Liam frowns and ducks his head, quietly making his way to the back of the room to lean against the wall.

Three minutes tick by and Liam’s biting the skin off his fingertips after finishing off his nails from anxiety. Stiles takes a quick glance at Liam and does a double-take of his friend before walking up to him.

“There’s something else going on here,” Stiles points out with a solemn expression.

Liam doesn’t answer him and keeps nibbling on his fingers until Stiles slaps his hand away. He flicks his gaze to the older boy and glares at him. “Hey!”

“Stop doing that,” Stiles scoffs and crosses his arms over his chest, staring down at him like a _child._ “What’s making you so jittery? You’re worse than me, and that’s saying a lot.”

Liam takes a quick look at Scott then looks back at Stiles, contemplating his options. He _knows_ how Stiles will react, so he decides to wait. “I’ll tell you when Scott’s done. We need all the help we can get.”

Stiles stares at the beta for a solid minute and it starts to make Liam uneasy, shifting from foot to foot as he tears his gaze away from Stiles’s intense brown eyes. Finally, the older boy sighs and uncrosses his arms. “Fine. Just…” He takes a closer look at Liam and shakes his head. “Get a grip, man. You look like the walking dead.”

Liam’s too tired to come up with a sharp comeback. He’s exhausted, hungry, and wants nothing more than to lay on his warm bed knowing Theo’s safe. Preferably safe in the guest bedroom of his house or maybe his bedroom. That works out. His bedroom feels too big when he’s the only one in the house. The painful reminder breaks a dam in him, and he has to hold back another wave of tears. His anxiety tired him out, and he can feel himself swaying and letting his eyelids drop. He feels Mason step up beside him to act as a headrest. Liam, too tired and agitated to protest, leans his head on Mason’s shoulder. It’s uncomfortable where he’s standing, but it’s something.

Liam gets through another two minutes with his eyes closed when Scott retracts his claws from the girl’s neck and gasps sharply, starling Liam awake. He steps forward and grasps Scott’s arm to steady him, knowing full well how much energy it takes for an alpha to get inside someone’s head.

The girl on the bed groans weakly and blinks her hazel eyes open, squinting at the unfamiliar people around her. Her arms tremble as she lifts herself to a sitting position and takes a long look around. “W-Where am I?” She asks, her voice raspy from disuse.

Scott grabs her hand and squeezes it in comfort. Upon seeing him, the girl relaxes and leans into his touch “You’re in the hospital. You’re safe,” Scott reassures her. “This is real.”

The girl sighs quietly and manages a wobbly smile. “Thank you,” she whispers.

“I have to wake your friend over here.” Scott gestures to the blonde girl on the hospital bed. “Give me some time okay?”

The girl nods. “Yes. Of course.” She lets go of his hand and Scott moves to stand beside the blonde girl on the bed. Once Liam’s sure his alpha is fine, he returns to his spot next to Mason. Scott moves her hair aside and slides his claws into her neck, screwing his eyes in concentration.

Melissa quietly comes through the door and steps beside the awoken girl to check her vitals and engage in a quiet conversation with her.

“Makes me wonder what my fantasy world would be like,” Stiles murmurs so quietly Liam’s sure it was meant for himself only. It leaves him wondering too. How would his perfect world be like?

Would he have his parents back? A full-ride scholarship to the best school in California? Would he be human? Would he be with Theo? He doesn’t know. He can’t grasp the concept of his deepest desires because he’s never fully known what he wanted in life.

He thought he would attend Devenford Prep for his whole four years of high school, graduate with straight A’s, and win a full-ride scholarship for being the number one lacrosse player. His dreams were crushed when he blew up and keyed his coach’s car for benching him for the season. Resulting in him being expelled from Devenford Prep and being diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder. He thought he could rise to the top again when attending Beacon Hills High. Then he got bitten by an alpha and had to fight for his life every night since. He thought he found the love of his life and even planned on marrying Hayden. They would run off to the sunset together like in the movies. No place set in mind. Just run. Because that’s what he was taught to believe, marrying a pretty girl and having a family with her, but that was before. She left him to protect her sister, and her absence made him realize...his love for her wasn’t romantic.

He wasn’t distraught and wishing she was here every minute of the day. Not like how he is with Theo. His love for Hayden was far different than it is for Theo, making him realize his true identity.

Now he’s just trying to graduate with decent grades while protecting Beacon Hills and hoping the other members of his pack can survive. He doesn’t know what’s next. Doesn’t know what life has in store for him, but all it seems to be is pain. So much pain and destruction. The Djinn is still out there and capturing innocent people. Has _Theo_ in its clutches. Who’s next? Corey? Mason? Brett? If Liam’s cheering when the creature takes Brett then it’s no one's business except his.

Who is he kidding? He would protect everyone until his last breath. Even fuckface Brett, and especially Theo, but guess what? Liam failed to protect him. It makes his heart clench painfully as if someone clawed their hand through his chest, squeezing his heart until all he can feel is _pain._ So much pain and...loss.

Scott gasps and takes several steps back when the blonde girl wakes from her coma. The alpha takes a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart then steps forward to hold the girl’s hand and comfort her. Scott’s always so kind with his gentle brown eyes and careful touches. Liam wishes he was more like Scott who managed to save tons of lives. Liam couldn’t even save Theo’s life.

Melissa steps forward to tend to the girl’s weak state and smiles at her gently as she talks to her in a low tone. Melissa saves lives on a daily basis, and she’s someone who still doesn’t like Liam. Holding a grudge against him for almost killing her son. He can’t blame her for that, but it still makes him uneasy to be in the same room as her.

Liam lifts his head off Mason’s shoulder and makes his way beside Scott where he’s now standing beside the girl with dark curls. “I’m going to ask you a couple of questions. Is that alright?” Scott asks her and sees the hesitation in her expression. “You don’t have to answer them if you’re uncomfortable. It’s okay, Emilia.” After a beat of silence, Emilia finally nods. “What happened? Where were you taken?” Scott asks.

“I was looking for Rose. She didn’t text me all day, and when I asked her parents where she was they had no idea. I grew worried for her because she told me she was going with this guy at this supposedly haunted house.” The girl fiddles with the thin blanket as she stares at her fingers. “I didn’t go because I was scared, but when I found out she’s been gone all day I had to do something. I went out looking for her. Last thing I remember is searching through the abandoned street then waking up in my house. Except I thought it was my house.”

Scott nods along to her explanation, sparing a glance at Rose who’s still talking to Melissa. “Which street was it?” He asks, looking back at Emilia.

“Cain street. It was so weird. There’s _no one_ there. I was creeped out about it,” Emilia mumbles quietly.

Scott looks back at Liam who’s wearing the same expression as him. Worry. Did the Djinn kill all those people? Liam really hopes not, but he’s seen the dead bodies with his own two eyes. Maybe Theo’s at Cain street?

Mason quickly catches on to what Liam’s thinking when he sees the expression Liam has. He surges forward to stop him before the beta can turn around and run out of the hospital. Mason looks at him with a firm look and shakes his head. His best friend knows him too well. Liam stares at him with an angry look, but Mason merely tightens his hold and stares back, communicating desperately with his eyes.

Liam’s face crumples, and he sighs in defeat, looking back at Scott’s questioning gaze. “You two know something?” Scott asks, walking away from Emilia so Melissa can tend to her needs.

Mason and Liam look at each other then back at Scott. Liam sighs and leans against Mason’s side, feeling way too exhausted to stand properly. “They weren’t the only ones taken.” He nibbles on his bottom lip and straightens up to his full height. “We’ve seen the bodies. We thought the Djinn only killed two people, but there’s more. A lot more. They’re dead.” Liam’s voice cracks at the end of his sentence.

Scott’s shoulders stiffen and a crestfallen look overcomes his face. He frowns at his beta and reaches out to squeeze his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault, Liam,” he whispers with so much sincerity in his tone. Of course, his pack knows him all too well. Blaming himself for their deaths. Blaming himself for _Theo’s_ disappearance.

“But it is,” Liam protests. “It was my responsibility to protect Beacon Hills while you were gone. I thought I could do it.” He laughs bitterly and shakes his head. “But I can’t. I’m not like you.”

“I don’t want you to be like me,” Scott says. “I want you to be better. As a hero, you’ll lose people. You’ll lose wars, but that shouldn't stop you from backing down. You stand up and fight back.”

“How can I fight back?” Liam asks, lifting his head to look at Scott. “When I don’t have my anchor here.”

“Hayden-”

“Hayden isn’t my anchor,” Liam retorts, the anger licking underneath his skin and threatening to come out at the mention of the person who left him. Just like how his parents left him. The next words tumble out of his mouth without a single thought. “Theo is my anchor.”

Stiles swerves around to gape at the beta. “The same Theo we know? Murderous Theo?”

Scott looks taken back by the outburst and arches an eyebrow. He doesn’t look angry or upset. He looks- curious and almost happy then realizes the topic they’re on and frowns. “Where’s Theo?” He asks tentatively.

“The Djinn took him two days ago.” Liam frowns, dampening his anger. Then, Stiles decides to make an impertinent comment about his anchor.

“He’s probably happily dreaming about killing all of us for power. Why are we wasting our breath for him?”

In an instant, Liam’s anger is back in full swing and before he knows it, his fist collides with Stiles’s nose. The older boy’s head snaps back and he groans loudly, holding a hand to his bleeding, most likely broken, nose. Liam breathes heavily through clenched teeth as he curls his hands into tight fists. He barely registers the burning pain when his claws dig into his palms and blood starts to slip through his fingers and drip onto the floor.

Liam pushes the door open, leaving a bloody handprint on it, and ignores the calls from his friends as he runs down the hallway. He tries to hide his flaring eyes and sharp claws from the people passing by him and manages to go through the front entrance without being spotted. It didn’t matter anyway when the town knew their whole secret, but Liam doesn’t doubt there are still people out there who are planning on striking against them again.

Liam leans against the brick wall and slides down to sit on the concrete floor. He breathes in deeply, gritting his teeth, and thinking about his anchor to try and keep himself in control. It would be so much easier if he was able to hear Theo’s heartbeat, but he settles on the words Theo would say if he found out Liam punched Stiles.

 _Still working on that anger?_ Theo would smirk at him, showing his perfect white canines. _Didn’t think you had it in you to break Stiles’s nose, angry pup._ Theo and his _stupid_ nicknames always riled him up, but this time, it relaxes him enough to shift back.

Liam lifts his head when he hears the shuffle of footsteps heading his way and tenses up for a fraction of a second before he catches Mason’s scent. His best friend emerges from the double doors and sighs in relief upon seeing Liam. “Dude, you scared me. I thought you were going to Cain street without _me,”_ he scowls, but there isn’t any heat behind his words.

“I thought about it,” Liam says and smiles at Mason. “I just needed to get out of there before I do any more damage,” he admits.

“I know. Stiles won’t hold it against you,” Mason reassures him and sits down on the floor next to him.

“I wouldn’t care if he did. He has no right to say something like that when Theo’s on the verge of dying,” Liam scoffs and tucks his knees against his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs. “I mean, yeah he did try to kill Scott and take the pack, but he’s changed now. He’s just a teenager like us-”

“He’s nineteen.”

“Shut up. You know what I mean.” Liam glares at his best friend half-heartedly.

Mason rubs his mouth to hide the forming smile. “Yeah, I know. We’re seventeen and don’t know what the hell we’re doing. I’m one hundred percent sure we’d be clueless at age nineteen. We’re basically adults going to college. We’ll be on our own pursuing our careers and paying bills until the day we die. I didn’t sign up for this!” He throws his arms in the air.

“Are we still talking about the same topic here?” Liam questions.

“Not really, but I wanted to rant about that. I’m not ready to leave this place, but I know I have to. At least I’ll have you and Corey by my side.” Mason pokes Liam on his tummy, eliciting a giggle from the beta. “I’m hoping Theo too,” he adds afterward.

Liam smiles. “Me too, and that’s why we have to find him.”

“Now that you’re in control and won’t punch Stiles again, let’s go back inside and talk to Scott. I have a plan.” Mason stands from the ground and sticks a hand out to help Liam stand on his feet.

Liam can’t promise he won’t punch Stiles again if needed or anyone who dares to insult his anchor. He settles on a nod and grabs Mason’s hand to pull himself up. The pair walk back inside the hospital. Scott, Stiles, and Corey are occupying the seats in the waiting room, and they stand when they see Liam and Mason walk through the front doors. Stiles is holding a bloody napkin to his nose, and Liam has to fight down the smugness at his pain.

“Good?’ Scott asks, glancing at Liam who nods. “Mason? The plan.” He looks at Mason.

“So I did a little digging into the Djinn. They only ever move places when they’re done feeding off of the person, and they aim for deserted places like the empty barn, abandoned houses, and old factories. We mark down every abandoned building of Beacon Hills and check it out,” Mason explains.

“Great plan,” Stiles says sarcastically and ignores the glare Liam sends his way. “There are tons of abandoned buildings in Beacon Hills. How would we even know where to look?”

“Nothing like a little hacking skill from moi.” Mason lays a hand on his chest and smirks smugly. “All I have to do is look for the files dated back from 2010 to before. I’ll mark a map of all the places I find then we can all go and search for Theo.”

Scott rubs a hand over his chin, most likely thinking over the plan in his head then- gives a nod of approval. “We’ll do that, but are you sure you won’t get caught hacking?” He asks.

“I got that covered.” Mason grins and Liam can sense the burst of affection from Corey who turns to smile at his boyfriend. They’re so disgustingly cute Liam almost pukes in his mouth.

“How are you so sure you’ll find all the abandoned places?” Scott asks.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but it’s better than doing nothing,” Mason points out.

“Good point. Get working on that. Stiles can help you,” Scott says, and Mason nods.

“As an agent in training I will let this slide this one time,” Stiles firmly says while discarding the bloody napkin.

“Sure,” Mason smirks and the pair head out of the hospital. Once Stiles is gone, Liam finds it easier to breathe and ignore the lingering anger.

“Corey, can you keep an eye on the girls? Make sure the Djinn won’t capture them again.” Scott turns to Corey who nods.

“I can do that. I’ll let you know if anything happens.” Then Corey’s gone to head to the patients’ room.

“Liam, you’re with me. Let’s go check on the other members of the pack and make sure they’re safe from the Djinn,” Scott says.

Liam’s been so engrossed with saving Theo he didn’t bother to check on the other members. The thought has him feeling guilty that Scott quickly notices. “Don’t beat yourself up over it,” he whispers. “I’m sure they’re fine, but I want to double-check.”

All Liam can do is nod weakly. What kind of substitute alpha is he if he wasn’t watching his friends’ backs? Maybe he isn’t good enough to take over Scott’s role, but he keeps that thought to himself as they leave the hospital.


	5. Everything I Wanted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first piece of writing of 2021 LET’S GO!! You know how I said I would give myself 2 weeks to finish a chapter? I really played myself huh. Anyway, yay for a new chapter! I hope you all had a great New Year!
> 
> There are three original characters I have added in this chapter. They play a small role since they only exist in Theo’s fantasy world, but they are still important to me because I made them, and I plan on writing them in future stories. I’ll be writing down the actress’s names that I think best fit my characters so you can have a visual of what they look like.
> 
> Reina Velázquez - Face Claim: Adria Arjona  
> Annabelle Barone - Face Claim: Kiernan Shipka  
> Lawrence Greyer - Danneel Ackles
> 
> My version of Liam’s mother is different from the fandom. I didn’t want to ruin Jenna’s reputation as a good mother since I think Liam’s parents neglected him as a child and now as a teenager. Lawrence is a good mother in Theo’s reality, but she isn’t in the real world since she left Liam.
> 
> The chapter name is inspired by Billie Eilish’s song “everything i wanted”
> 
> Leave a couple of comments? I appreciate all my readers! Love you guys!

  
  
The first thing that catches Theo’s senses when regaining consciousness is the warmth surrounding him and the smell of _Liam_ wrapping around him in a tight embrace. The sugary sweet scent of peaches, honey, and chocolate oddly remind Theo of his childhood when he was a carefree child chasing his older sister in the safety of their backyard. He’s not sure the happy memories of his sister are actually his because of the vivid memory of killing her for her heart. That memory will forever be burned into his memory and nothing like a _Djinn_ can erase it, but the happy memories make him feel nostalgic. Yearning for the old days where he wasn’t a burden.

All the other memories seem so _real._ Tara living past the age of her death date and dying due to natural causes, giving Theo her heart the right way. Tara was always destined to die and give Theo a part of herself he can hold onto forever. He was destined to live a healthy life no matter which reality he got stuck in, but he wishes he didn’t have her blood on his hands. Then maybe he wouldn’t be haunted by her ghost staring down at him with cold hollow eyes while he sleeps.

Memories of his past life are fading away and being replaced by new ones from this reality, and this time, he doesn’t try fighting it. For the first time in a long time, he got his full eight hours of sleep and didn’t wake up screaming- begging to make the night terrors stop. He woke up wrapped up in Liam’s scent and instinctively tightened his hold around the younger boy’s waist. burying his nose into Liam’s soft long hair.

Liam makes a small noise to announce he’s awake and turns around to face Theo with a dazzling smile that puts the older boy’s worries to rest. “Someone’s up before me. You’re usually really cranky in the mornings,” Liam teases.

“Only because you wake up at ass o’clock in the morning,” Theo snarks and surges forward to plant a kiss on Liam’s lips because _he can._ He doesn’t have to worry about if Liam would punch him as a form of rejection.

Liam rolls his eyes, but Theo can see the small smile he’s trying to hide. “There’s the cranky alpha I know.” His voice drips with sarcasm, but it makes Theo’s heart skip a beat at hearing that title.

_Alpha._

He’s always wanted to be an alpha, and the desire never went away when he was pulled out of Hell. He always wanted to be in control and have the ability of a powerful alpha with a pack that obeys his every demand. He hasn’t lost that part of himself— craving power, but now that he has it he doesn’t know what to think of it. What kind of alpha is he? What kind of pack does he have?

“You’re overthinking again,” Liam whispers. He looks up at Theo with so much _worry._ It’s almost too much for the older boy to endure. “What’s on your mind?” Liam asks.

“I’d rather not talk about it,” Theo admits. “But I want to recite what we did last night.” He smirks and feels a hint of pride at the blush Liam has.

“No!” Liam smacks the back of his hand against Theo’s chest before untangling himself from the older boy. “I’m hungry. I’m going to make breakfast for us, so get ready because you need to take me to school and you need to go to work.”

Theo groans and throws an arm over his eyes to block out the sun shining through the curtains. “Why can’t we just take a break today?”

“It’s my senior year, and you know how Reina gets when you’re late for work.” Liam pulls the covers from Theo’s grasp, and the older boy removes his arm to glare at him. “Stop being grumpy.” Liam rolls his eyes and grabs his t-shirt from the ground to pull it over his head.

“Fine fine drama queen,” Theo mumbles under his breath while getting up from the bed. He shoves his sweatpants down to his ankles and kicks them to the side.

“Breakfast will be ready—” Liam turns around and trips over the laundry basket upon seeing Theo naked in the middle of _their_ bedroom. “Oh my God! Wear some clothes!” He brings his hands up to cover his eyes and walks backward, bumping into the wall.

Theo quirks an eyebrow at Liam’s flustered state. “So you were full-on making out with me last night but you’re suddenly too shy now?” He asks and lets out an amused chuckle. He pulls open the drawers and picks out a pair of jeans and his work shirt.

“We had our clothes on!”

“Our shirts were off.”

“I don’t have time for this!” Liam’s voice went unusually high and he lowers his hands. He turns around quickly and shuffles out of the bedroom.

It’s adorable how Liam still gets flustered over seeing Theo naked when they weren’t doing uhm... _explicit things._ It’s one of the things Theo likes to tease about Liam who always try to steer their attention towards the task at hand, which is getting ready for work. To think Theo’s perfect reality would be living in a mansion with a jacuzzi in his personal bathroom. _How awesome would that be?_ He thinks to himself. Sadly, he doesn’t live in a mansion nor has a jacuzzi in his personal bathroom.

Theo puts on his clothes and walks inside the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face before going down the stairs to the kitchen where Liam’s frying a couple of eggs.

“Don’t burn them, sweetheart,” Theo teases while stepping up beside Liam to kiss his cheek.

“Haha, very funny.” Liam rolls his eyes. “I can cook! I’m learning alright? I think I can manage not burning the eggs.”

“I believe in you.” Theo winks and takes his seat by the dining table just to watch Liam do his magic. Doing his magic means making Theo insanely happy without even trying. The younger boy is in the comfort of his own kitchen and humming to a tune Theo recognizes but can’t pinpoint. He’s wearing a permanent smile on his face while concentrating on the eggs and timing when to flip them over. His hair and clothes are disheveled, and he has to stifle a yawn into his shoulder.

Liam looks beautiful.

Liam flicks his gaze to look at Theo and smiles at him before turning his attention back to the eggs. Theo moves to stand from the seat but stops when Liam shakes his head. “No. You stay right there while I cook for us. We got an hour before we have to leave,” he explains.

Theo raises his hands in the air while lowering himself onto the chair. “Don’t tear my head off, Angry Pup.” He smirks when he sees the blush Liam has.

“Just shut up, _Teddy Bear.”_ Liam snorts and turns around to smirk when Theo stares at him with a shocked look. “What? I’m good at nicknames too!”

“Yeah…” Theo feels a smile tug at the corner of his lips upon hearing that nickname. It’s...different but not odd. He kinda likes it despite how ridiculous the nickname is, but he’s never had one that its intention is _not_ to insult him.

Theo stays in his seat by the dinner table and watches as Liam mixes the eggs with bits of ham and fries up a few strips of bacon. The smell of breakfast fuels Theo’s senses and makes his stomach rumble from hunger. He can already feel his mouth-watering. He doesn’t remember the last time he’s had a full meal that didn’t involve leftovers from his second job at the local restaurant.

What _is_ his job in this reality? He’s only gathered bits and pieces of his past, but it’s not concrete enough to make up his life as a whole. He doesn’t know what kind of person he is— or supposed to be. In the real world, he’s a murderous killer who’s seeking redemption and anchoring himself to prevent himself from making the same mistakes prior to his trip to hell. He’s always had a retentive memory, a skill he’s developed from the root cause of how he became a vengeful killer, but somehow, the Djinn took that away from him.

Liam places a plate of food in front of Theo, ripping him away from his thoughts, and leans down to kiss his lips. That’s something Theo can get used to— being able to kiss Liam whenever he wants to.

“Where’s your head these days?” Liam asks, carding his strong fingers through Theo’s wavy hair. The older boy leans into his touch and closes his eyes, a small smile forming on his lips. Who knew he was a person who likes to be petted. If he’s this weak around the beta then he’ll have to growl at anyone who sees him in this vulnerable manner. He still has to keep his reputation.

“Just got a lot of things on my mind.” Theo shrugs and stares down at the food. “Breakfast looks delicious, babe. I’m proud of you for not burning down the kitchen,” he teases.

Liam rolls his eyes and smacks Theo’s shoulder in a playful manner. “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m improving?” He snarks.

“There’s always time for more improvement.” Theo winks at him as he grabs his fork to start on the eggs and work his way to the bacon strips and toast.

• • •

Theo slows his truck to a stop in front of the high school alive with students swarming around to get to their morning class. He looks out through the newly repaired glass window. There are little to no scratch marks on the glass or evidence of the bullet holes the hunters made in his back window. His baby even has _seat warmers._ When did he get these new additions to his truck?

The sound of Liam unbuckling his seatbelt diverts Theo’s attention away from the building to glance at the younger boy. Liam reaches over the armrest to cup Theo’s face in his hands, bowing his head until their foreheads are touching. The single touch eases Theo’s shoulders and makes his thoughts disappear in an instant. He breathes in the sweet scent of peaches and relaxes into Liam’s hold.

“You’re stressed. Don’t know why though,” Liam mumbles, gazing into Theo’s eyes. “You know what will help? Pack night!” He grins.

 _Pack night?_ Since when was Theo invited to pack night? Okay, maybe Liam did invite him a handful of times, but he always declined his offer, claiming no one wanted him there. Maybe in this reality everyone wants him there. “Pack night with who?” He asks.

“The whole pack, silly.” Liam shakes his head fondly. “Mason, Corey, Brett, Lori, Nolan, Alec, Annabelle, and Reina. Maybe my parents too if they’re not working tonight. I wish we could’ve invited Hayden and Scott’s pack. Maybe someone from his pack will show up.” He shrugs. “But our pack will have to do,” he adds.

 _Our pack._ Theo will never get used to that. He always wanted a spot in the pack and hated the fact he was by the sidelines without protection, acting as a _lone wolf._ Lone wolves and omegas don’t survive on their own, but now he does have a spot. The spot as _alpha. Liam’s parents are still here._ They never fled town. He wonders how much they know, but it’s obvious enough they accept their son as a werewolf.

“Sounds like a plan.” Theo smiles.

“I’m happy you think so. Nothing like our pack coming together to make their alpha feel better,” Liam teases. He tips his head and kisses Theo. “I’ll see you after work. Mason’s picking me up so you can work the extra hours.”

“See you,” Theo murmurs, smiling at the younger boy who pulls away and opens the car door to hop out of the truck. Theo stays sitting in his truck as he watches Liam walk up to the main entrance to greet Mason and Corey. After they walk inside the building, Theo pulls out of the parking lot and makes his way to the clinic.

He can feel himself getting anxious at the unknown of what’s waiting for him. He doesn’t like not knowing things, but he’ll have to see for himself to remember this life. He drums his fingers against the steering wheel as he fiddles with the radio and turning the volume up to let classical rock music calm his nerves. It does the job for the rest of the ride until he’s pulling up in the parking lot of the clinic.

Theo can’t explain the odd feeling but he knows this is where he’s supposed to be.

Theo cuts off the engine and grabs his keys, stepping out of the truck and shutting the door behind him. He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jacket and takes a deep breath of the post-rain environment before walking inside.

When Theo steps inside the warm clinic, he isn’t greeted by Deaton. A woman with brown hair and flawless tanned skin looks up from the counter and gives Theo an easy smile. Her warm yet fierce brown eyes resemble a sort of motherly love when she looks at him. He immediately picks up on the scent of sunflowers, maple syrup, and his mother’s old perfume she always wore. It’s the woman’s natural scent and somehow, he feels connected to her. He doesn’t know her yet but he already feels protected around her. He trusts her with his life, and he wishes he can remember everything; remember why he feels so content to be with her.

“Are you just going to stand there?” The woman asks with a thick accent and Theo freezes in his spot mid-step. “Did you see a ghost, mijo?” She asks, her smile growing bigger.

The endearment brings a smile to Theo’s face. He’s learned Spanish from an unknown source he can’t seem to decipher, but being called _son_ almost brings the boy to tears. “Maybe.” He shrugs.

“Funny. You and your jokes. Can you make jokes while helping out? Pastel misses you lots.” The woman chuckles under her breath.

 _Who the hell names their pet cake?_ Theo squints his eyes to look at the woman’s name tag and reads _Reina. This is Reina. The new boss at the clinic?_ Theo follows Reina into the room where they have the strays at.

A german shepherd barks from his cage and paws at the door. He whines when Theo gets closer and crouches down to unlock the cage. Pastel emerges from the cage and licks his face in affection. Theo laughs and pets the dog. Flashes of memories come to mind about Pastel. Where they found him and _who_ named him.

_“What should we name you?” Liam murmurs as he pets the puppy and scratches the underside of his chin. “We should give him a Spanish name! Ms. Velázquez—”_

_“How many times do I have to tell you, Li? Call me Reina.” The woman smiles at the younger boy and ruffles his hair._

_“You got any Spanish names I can use? You are the one who found him so maybe we should give him a Spanish name!” Liam exclaims while hugging the puppy to his chest._

_“Will you be able to say the name right?” Theo teases, earning a poke to his shoulder by Liam._

_“What kind of name do you want? A badass or cute name?” Reina asks._

_“Maybe a cute name. Look how cute he is!” Liam kisses the puppy’s head and smiles down at him._

_“Amor, Rey, Pastel,” Reina says in a joking tone earning a laugh from Theo._

_“Pastel sounds cute! I’ll name you Pastel.” Liam says to the puppy. “What does it mean?”_

_Theo and Reina glance at each other momentarily before looking back at Liam. Theo shakes his head fondly and kisses Liam’s forehead who stares at him in confusion._

_Of course, Liam would name a german shepherd cake._ Theo stifles his laughter from the memory. Now Pastel is a big and strong dog. He isn’t a little puppy anymore, but Liam still treats him like a baby pup.

“No new candidates on taking Pastel home?” Theo asks.

“No, except for Li. You two should take him home. Pastel will do good for you and Li’s family,” Reina says with enthusiasm. “You two treat him like you’re his parents. It’s only fair if you adopt him.”

“Maybe,” Theo murmurs. He stands from his crouching position and turns to Reina. “You think we should? I never had a pet before. My parents weren’t very fond of animals.”

“My ama ( _mom)_ and apa _(dad)_ weren’t as well. I had to beg them when I was a little girl, but I still didn’t get one. Now, look at me, being an emissary and veterinarian who’s surrounded by cats, dogs, and werewolves.” She grins at Theo and chuckles.

 _Emissary._ She’s the emissary of his pack? That’s why he feels so connected to her, and the more he thinks about it the faster the memories rush in and replace his old ones. He remembers meeting her when the hunters were attacking Beacon Hills and how he almost lost his life due to the wolfsbane bullets. It was a close call _too close,_ but she didn’t give up on him. Then afterward, she stayed and was invited into his pack for saving their alpha’s life.

Theo shuts his eyes, shoving the painful memory into the back of his mind. He doesn’t want to think about it and see the devastating looks on his pack members’ faces. The unadulterated _fear_ in Liam’s watery eyes as he held his hand. It was far too much, but even if this is the first time he’s remembering he knows he will do everything in his power to repay her back. He does owe her his life.

“Sounds like the dream.” Theo opens his eyes and glances at her with a smile. “All is just missing is the mansion right?”

“Of course, but I think I’m content in my little home. Don’t ya think?” Reina bumps her shoulder with his and fastens a leash into the hook of Pastel’s collar. “You wanna walk the dogs while I deal with paperwork?” She asks.

“Anything but paperwork,” Theo admits, grabbing the leash from her. “Even if that means picking up after these dogs.”

“Fine, leave the workload to me.” Reina shakes her head but she has a dazzling smile on her face as she reaches out and squeezes Theo’s shoulder. “I’ll be in my office if you need me. Okay?”

Theo nods. “You got it, ma’am.”

“Bien. _Good._ I’ll see you after.” Reina turns around and leaves the room.

Theo glances down at the leash in his hand and flicks his gaze to Pastel. “This should be fine.” He smiles when Pastel barks in response. “Be a good boy and stay,” he orders as he places the leash aside. Pastel sits down and stares up at Theo as the boy grabs the keys from the hook to unlock the cages and put the leashes on the dogs.

Five dogs sit in front of him and stare at him with their big eyes as he fiddles with their leashes in his hand. He wraps them tightly around his wrist and nods to himself. “I’m a genius,” he murmurs. “Go easy on me,” he tells them as he starts to lead them out of the clinic.

For the most part, they behave, and Theo starts to relax his grip knowing they won’t run away from him. His status as alpha is probably the source of their good behavior, but either way, the walk is peaceful and just what he needed to clear his mind.

He closes his eyes and tilts his head to let the sun shine on his face, breathing in the scent of freshly cut grass, flowers, and pine cones that make up Beacon Hills Park, and smiles to himself. He’s exactly where he’s supposed to be.

• • •

Theo parks his truck in the driveway of the Dunbar residence and cuts off the engine. He opens the door and steps out of the truck, immediately being followed by Pastel who jumps over the seats and hops out of the truck.

Theo laughs out loud at Pastel’s enthusiasm as he shuts the door and locks his truck. “Easy boy. We just got here,” he points out as he ruffles the dog’s fur.

The pair walk up the porch and Theo fiddles with his keys to find the house key. Before he can insert the key, the door swings open and he gets an armful of Liam jumping into his arms.

“You’re home!” Liam exclaims, squeezing his arms tighter around Theo.

Theo chuckles. “Yeah. Did I take too long?” He asks, since he did take the extra hours of work.

“No, I’m just clingy like that,” Liam admits with a bashful smile while pulling away. Pastel barks beside him and Liam gasps in surprise upon seeing the dog. “Pastel! Ooooh, how are you boy?” He crouches beside Pastel and ruffles his fur with a grin.

“Someone’s happy to see you,” Theo says and chuckles when Pastel starts to slobber Liam’s face with saliva. “Ewww you’re going to have to take a shower after this.” He scrunches up his nose in disgust.

“Oh shut up.” Liam rolls his eyes as he stands. “You’re just jealous he loves me more.”

“No, I just don’t like saliva on my face,” Theo points out.

“Excuses excuses,” Liam mumbles, stepping aside to let Pastel and Theo in. “The rest of the pack will come over in two hours, so you have time to get ready.”

“Will do. Maybe you should too with me.” Theo winks, planting a kiss on Liam’s lips. _They’re so soft._

“Not now!” Liam giggles and shoves at Theo’s chest. “I have to make the house look presentable before I shower. My mom’s coming home from work early, so she’ll help me when she gets here.”

 _Wonder how it’ll be like to meet Liam’s mom._ Theo’s been dreading it ever since he found out that his parents are still in town. He wants to be angry with them, but this version of Liam’s parents never left him. They stayed and feel safe around _the pack._ “Alright, fine. Maybe next time,” Theo teases, enjoying the bright pink blush on Liam’s face.

“You’re so difficult sometimes,” Liam murmurs while rolling his eyes, but Theo can see a glimpse of a smile before he turns away.

“You still love it,” Theo calls out to him on his way to their shared bathroom. He walks inside the room and takes a quick look around. He didn’t have time to look at the small details of the Dunbar residence considering his inner panic attack. Little by little, he’s been adapting to this new reality and scooping up the small details of his life.

Liam’s always been a messy boy, and that aspect of him was slightly altered. He’s still messy, but not as excessive as the real world when Theo came into his life to balance him by being a neat freak. Always having to tell him to clean up after himself. It’s never bothered him before since Liam never had authority or a permanent parental figure in his life while growing up. His parents were never there for him and to have them leave after a traumatic event with the hunters...It was a lot for Liam, and it saddens Theo that he’s leaving that version of Liam behind.

Maybe this _is_ a mistake. Maybe he doesn’t belong here. Maybe Liam really does need him.

In this reality, Liam’s carefree, and he has the light in his eyes Theo saw when he first met him. It was so bright and filled with _good_ it made Theo question his motives and the path he was in— whatever that path was. He knows he wasn’t a good person, far from it, and it makes him question _why_ he did the things he did, and _why_ did Liam forgive him. It doesn’t make sense. None of his jumbled up memories make sense to him, and it frustrates him.

He’s living two different lives, and one of them is a person he isn’t, but it’s the person he always wished to be. For Liam, and for Tara.

 _What am I doing here? What should I do? I don’t belong here._ Theo thinks to himself while reaching out to push the shower curtain aside. On autopilot, he turns on the showerhead and strips out of his clothing while he thinks over his two lives over and over again, trying to decipher his ultimate choice.

Theo tips his head back and closes his eyes, letting the steamy water wash over him and fog up the bathroom. The water droplets landing on the tub and the heartbeat of a certain beta makes Theo let go of his doubts and unwanted thoughts. Liam has always been his solace when he’s stuck in his own head. He can have this if only for another day. He’ll have this pack night and find a way to go back tomorrow.

Happiness has been out of his reach ever since the age of nine. He wants this. Oh, how he wants to stay forever, but he knows he can’t.

_Only for today._

• • •

Meeting Liam’s parents is something Theo never thought he had to deal with. He doesn’t know how to feel about it. He’s standing by the entryway of the kitchen and watching Liam talk to his mother in an excited tone about his last year of high school. Explaining what they’ll do for the senior activities and when and where the graduation will be at. His mother is adding comments to Liam’s rambling while stirring a pot of macaroni and cheese, and his stepfather is out back grilling chicken.

When Theo pictured Liam’s mother, he thought she would have dirty blonde almost brown hair and blue eyes like her son, but it’s clear he got his blue eyes from his biological father. Lawrence has brown eyes and recently dyed her hair auburn, replacing the blonde highlights she used to have. She seems like a professional young-looking woman with her tall heels, slacks, and an expensive blazer over her floral blouse.

Lawrence flicks her gaze over to where Theo is standing and smiles at him. “Good, you’re done showering. Mind helping out?” She asks.

“This get-together is for him, mom.” Liam rolls his eyes.

“And? He cooks better than you.”

“That is so rude.” Liam groans.

“I don’t mind helping,” Theo says and steps inside the kitchen to get started on the mashed potatoes that Liam was trying, and failing, to make. The younger boy makes a comment about taking a shower before leaving the kitchen.

People start to come to Liam’s house. The first guests to arrive are Mason and Corey. Their familiar faces calm Theo. He doesn’t do well with social gatherings, so seeing two of his _friends_ gives him a breath of relief. They greet him with a hug and Corey adds a fist bump before walking inside the house.

Next are Nolan, Alec, Brett, and his sister Lori. He isn’t close to Nolan, Alec, or Lori, but he greets them with a polite smile. He’s still reluctant around Nolan considering what he did to Liam when the hunters were around. His story is still the same in this reality and that’s why Theo squeezes Nolan’s hand a little too hard, relishing in the wince the boy expresses.

The next person who arrives is someone Theo least expects, Kira. He opens the door, his eyes widening in shock upon seeing her wide grin and she beams at him. “Hey, Theo!” She exclaims with a giggle.

It’s hard seeing her because the last time he saw her was when she used her katana to send him to Hell. The fox within her was taking over control, and she couldn’t do anything about it. Wanting nothing more than to protect her friends, and Theo was one of those people who had to go. He doesn’t blame her, but it’s still hard to forgive her.

This version of Kira never sent him to Hell. No, they’re _friends._ Theo can go as far to say they’re _best friends._ The fox isn’t controlling her, and her fate isn’t staying with the skinwalkers. Theo’s smile is dubious, but Kira doesn’t seem to notice.

“What are you doing here?” Theo asks because he remembers Liam telling him none of Scott’s pack was able to make it.

“I heard about what happened, and I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to cheer you up. I brought jello as a peace offering!” Kira lifts the plate covered in foil to show Theo.

Theo’s heart clenches painfully at Kira’s kindess. He doesn’t have the heart to say her presence is making it worse, making him remember Hell. She wouldn’t even understand because she’s the one that didn’t do it. Another version of Kira did, but seeing this side of the kitsune makes Theo accept the gift and give her a real smile. Maybe if he was a good person they could’ve been great friends.

“Come in,” Theo steps aside to let Kira in before closing the door behind her.

Liam runs down the stairs and grins at Kira. “You made it!” He engulfs her in a hug and practically lifts her off the ground.

Kira giggles and wraps her arms around Liam. “Of course I did! I wouldn’t miss a pack party!”

It’s not long when the whole pack— _Theo’s pack_ arrives at the Dunbar residence. Theo opens the front door to a smiling Reina and a young girl with short diamond blonde hair and brown eyes trailing behind her. The girl in question grins and runs past Reina, engulfing Theo in a tight hug. She tucks her head against his chest and smiles against his cotton shirt.

Theo waits for the other shoe to drop, waits for his body to jump into a fight stance at being hugged by someone he _doesn’t even know_ yet. It never comes. His body responds in a more positive manner, and he raises his arms to wrap them around the girl. Still wary of the position they’re in, he tips his head down and tentatively scents her.

His eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his lips part in surprise at the realization she’s _his beta._ Remembering how he met her in the hospital while helping _Liam’s stepfather_. Fuck, he even volunteers at the hospital. He’s seen how devastated she was to learn she didn’t have a lot of time to live. He offered her the bite, and she accepted it. After that, they’ve grown so close together. She’s like a little sister to him.

This Theo Raeken has done so much _good_ in his life and remembering all of it is getting overwhelming for him, but he tries to dampen his emotions. He pulls away from Annabelle and feels warmth at the way she beams up at him. Great. Another over excited puppy in his pack. Theo wouldn’t have it any other way.

The party is at all full swing and everyone gathers around Theo who nervously shifts in his spot on the couch. He’s not used to this kind of attention from everyone, and it’s making him a bit anxious, but he still tries to interact with the others.

Eventually, Liam emerges from the kitchen to take his spot next to Theo and takes his hand in his. Theo turns his head to look at Liam who smiles at him and all of Theo’s anxious energy flows out of him on the next exhale. He squeezes Liam’s hand and turns his attention to the conversation about Mason’s grand plan on graduation night.

“Any suggestions on what restaurant we should eat at?” Mason asks.

“A pizza place,” Brett pipes up from where he’s sitting on the armrest next to Theo.

“Again?” Lori asks with an eye roll from where she’s sitting on the ground in between Theo and Brett.

“What? Pizza’s good!” Brett shoots back at her.

“Buffalo Wild Wings is always great,” Alec says from his spot on the single chair beside the couch. Lawrence pats his knee and glares half-heartedly at him for having his feet propped on the coffee table. Alec smiles sheepishly and slides his feet off the table.

“Too expensive with our werewolf metabolism,” Annabelle points out from her seat on the other end of the couch where she’s sitting next to Liam.

“Fair point.” Alec frowns.

“Why not get something simple like McDonald’s?” Nolan asks.

“No!” Everyone says in unison, even Theo. _Why McDonald’s?_ So basic.

“Okay, okay,” Nolan murmurs, shuffling back to the corner of the living room.

“Olive Garden?” Corey asks, looking over Mason’s shoulder where his boyfriend is typing a list of possible restaurants they can go to and the activities they can do after the ceremony. “ I haven’t gone there with my parents in ages! Last time I went I was seven.”

“Their breadsticks are amazing!” Liam exclaims.

“But everyone goes there!” Annabelle groans.

“I’ve never gone to Olive Garden,” Kira admits from where she has her elbows propped on the back of the couch.

All heads whip around to stare at her in shock. “You’re kidding?” Theo asks with an arched eyebrow.

“Sorry! Sorry! I just haven’t.” Kira lifts her hands in surrender.

“What kind of food are you guys in the mood for?” Mason asks, diverting their attention away from Kira. His thumbs fly over the screen of his cellphone. “Pizza, wings, hamburger, sushi, steak?” He lists them down without looking up from his screen.

All at once, everyone starts talking over each other, debating where they should go to eat after graduation. Theo doesn’t voice his input since he knows he won’t be here when the time comes, and the shouting is getting excessive, but it still brings a smile to his face. It’s one of the pack’s greatest qualities, getting into debates.

Theo stands from his seat and retreats to the empty kitchen. He can still hear their conversation, but they’ve gotten a little quieter, and he gets to relax without a crowd staring him down.

A few minutes later, Corey walks inside the kitchen and Theo gives him a smile. He’s more comfortable around Corey and Liam than the others. He’s close to them in the real world. It still feels odd to think he has some sort of connection to the whole pack.

“I came to check up on you. This get-together is for you,” Corey points out.

“I’m good,” Theo admits. He’s a little anxious, but he is _good._ He feels _happy_ here. He didn’t know he can feel an ounce of happiness in this lifetime, but here he is, living the dream. Really living the dream because his mind keeps nagging at him that this isn’t real. A voice in the back of his mind is screaming at him to leave before he goes any further. The wolf and coyote inside him are battling against each other, fighting if they want happiness or security. It’s exhausting, but he’s focusing his energy on the light inside him.

“You know I’m here for you right?” Corey asks, stepping up beside Theo and bumping shoulders with him. “You did save me a couple of times, and I owe you that. You’re also my friend.”

Theo doesn’t know how or why, but he has a feeling Corey is speaking from the real world. It’s true that he and Corey have gotten closer since the incident with the hunters, but there’s still the fact that he threatened him. Used him as bait a couple of times to get what he wants, power.

Craving power is definitely something that will never change with Theo. Throughout his whole life, he wanted power. He wanted to have control over his own life, and he still wants that. He’s a destined born leader. Not a follower, but his past mistakes prevent him from being someone that can be good.

It hurts. This version of Theo Raeken is a good person. A good alpha. The real Theo Raeken is nothing but a cheap knock-off of a werewolf with no pack.

“Yeah, I know,” Theo lies through his teeth. He’s always been good at keeping calm and not letting the others know when he’s lying. It’s an instinct for him. He hates it. Wishes he can speak the truth. Wishes he can just forget his old life and stay here.

He’s changing his mind too much, and he fears for the wrong choice.

“Good.” Corey smiles at him and leaves the kitchen.

Liam comes in a few seconds later. “What are you doing away from the party?” He asks.

“Just needed a minute to myself,” Theo admits, and all at once, his thoughts vanish. All he can think about is Liam. The sweet boy who looks at him with so much love in his eyes Theo simply cannot resist. It’s odd to think upon seeing, hearing, and scenting Liam quiets Theo’s thoughts, but he doesn’t dwell on it.

Liam walks over to him and wraps his arms around him and leans his head against his shoulder. Theo wraps his arms around Liam and kisses the top of his head. “How are you feeling?” Liam asks.

A sudden burst of emotion rises in Theo at that question, and he smiles at Liam. “I feel happy,” he admits.

Little by little, Theo forgets the memories of his past life and is confused on why he was so upset before. Confused on why he thought about leaving. He has everything that he needs here.


	6. Hope(less)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Over halfway done! I’m proud of myself. I didn’t think this would be a longer chapter than the others but here it is. I got a little carried away, but I hope it’s worth it.
> 
> The words on the edit are lyrics from the song “Controls” by Pham.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy and tell me what you think xx

Liam paces the long kitchen island while nibbling on his fingernails and almost biting the skin off his fingertips. Scott and Stiles are at each end of the kitchen island staring down at the map Mason is showing them. Mason and Corey are next to each other informing the alpha the places they can start searching at and working their way around the map. Brett, Nolan, and Alec are nearby to hear the conversation but aren’t hovering around the kitchen island.

From what Liam has gathered, there are approximately fifteen places with no sign of human activity and the possibility of Theo being held hostage in one of those places. Fifteen chances. Theo _has_ to be in one of those places. Liam feels his stomach turn and a wave of nausea overcomes him. He dismisses the pessimistic feeling in his gut and holds onto the shred of hope.

“We’ll break up in pairs to cover more ground,” Scott announces, pulling Liam out of his treacherous mind. He glances around the table and starts listing off names and who they’ll be partnered up with. “Mason you’ll go with Corey, Brett you’ll go with Alec, and Stiles will stick with me.”

Liam stops in his tracks and drops his hands by his sides, wiping them clean on his joggers. A broken nail gets caught on a thread and he bites down on his bottom lip, breathing out a sigh. He ignores the simmering anger and steps up beside Scott. “Then I’ll be with Nolan,” he confirms, finally taking a look at the map.

“You guys go on ahead. Liam, I have to talk to you,” Scott says. The other pack members give them their space and leave the kitchen. Mason rolls up the map and smiles at Liam before leaving the room with the rest of the crowd.

“About what?” Liam asks now that they’re alone.

Scott rolls his shoulders back and crosses his arms over his chest, a frown overcoming his face. “You can’t come with us,” he starts.

“What? Why—” Liam starts to protest but Scott cuts him off before he can go on.

“You’re in no condition to go out looking for Theo,” Scott continues, softening his voice and leveling his beta with a worried gaze. “You haven’t eaten, slept, and your chemosignals are bursting with anxiety all the time. You look like you’re on the verge of collapsing.”

“I’m fine,” Liam snaps with a grim expression. He runs his fingers through his long hair and winces when his chipped nails get caught in a few strands of tangled hair.

“You’re not fine,” Scott says firmly.

Maybe Liam isn’t _fine,_ but how can he be? He can’t eat, he can’t sleep, and he hasn’t been able to focus on anything except saving Theo. Three days. It’s been _three fucking days_ without his anchor, and he can feel the full moon tempting the wolf inside him. The full moon is near, but Liam doesn’t think he’ll be able to control himself without the chains.

“Who cares?” Liam’s breathing picks up and his heart rate skyrockets. He’s becoming more frustrated by the second with his foul thoughts and Scott’s stupid concern for him. He doesn’t need it. He’s not a _child_ anymore. “I’m more than capable of walking out through that door and searching for Theo.”

“Maybe.” Scott nods. “But you’re too emotionally unstable right now. Too weak to take on the Djinn. What if you find him and he gets _you?_ What if he doesn’t show any mercy and kills you instead? Your life’s on the line right now, and what good will it do if we get Theo but lose you?” He steps forward and places his hands on Liam’s shoulders. “How would Theo react when he finds out we saved him but the price was losing you?” He asks in a low and soft tone.

Liam’s relationship with Theo is complicated, to say the least, but he knows they would die for each other. It was an unspoken statement when Theo surprised him by arriving at the hospital and saving him from being shot by the hunters. An unspoken promise when Liam agreed to fight with him. An unspoken confirmation when Theo came back every single day to check on Liam and help him after his parents left him. They aren’t _friends._ They’re more than that, and how stupid can Liam be upon not realizing it?

He _loves_ Theo. It’s still surreal to think about. He loves Theo— so much, and he would do anything for him. Of course he would, but all he could do for Theo right at this moment is listen to Scott and stay put. _What good will it do if we get Theo but lose you? How would Theo react?_

Liam closes his eyes and bows his head in defeat, breathing in deeply to stop the overflow of tears threatening to break the damn within him. Not again. He can’t break down again. He needs to hold onto hope they’ll find him before it’s too late. He can do this. He _will_ do this.

“Okay,” Liam breathes out and opens his eyes to look up into his alpha’s eyes. “I’ll stay.” He rolls his shoulders back and lifts his head. “Where do you want me at while I’m waiting for you?”

“I have an idea.” Scott smiles and wraps an arm around Liam’s shoulders, guiding him through the front door of his house.

• • •

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Liam exclaims in time when the gate squeaks open to reveal Peter in his ridiculously ugly white v neck shirt and black jeans.

“Sorry buddy. I didn’t want to take any chances.” Scott winces, sounding genuine sorry, but all Liam can do is glare at him.

“You couldn’t have gotten _anyone else?_ Hmm I don’t know Derek? Parrish? The Sheriff?” Liam asks.

“Derek’s too busy in his honeymoon with Braeden,” Peter drawls out sarcastically while crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the doorway.

“Shut up I wasn’t talking to you,” Liam retorts, gritting his teeth and curling his hands into tight fists.

“I forgot how feisty your beta was, Scott.” Peter smiles and raises his eyebrows in mild amusement.

“Parrish,” Scott says loudly to be heard over Peter’s words. “And the Sheriff are busy at Eichen House. They’re getting ready for the new transfer of the Djinn.”

“A Djinn I hear?” Peter asks, seemingly intrigued. “A Djinn in Beacon Hills? I’ve never heard such a thing. They mostly target ghost towns or small areas, but I’m guessing the Nemeton brought them here. Interesting,” he murmurs the last part to himself.

“I don’t want to stay with him. He’s like the creepy uncle of the pack!” Liam points out.

“Creepy uncle can hear you.” Peter rolls his eyes.

“He took the name with grace! I don’t want to stay alone with him.” Liam whines and tugs on Scott’s arm who sighs.

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have Nolan,” Scott says.

“Wait what?” Nolan asks. “Is this why I’m here?” He shoves himself off the wall and shuffles his feet to stand beside Liam and eyes Peter with distaste.

“Does no one in your little pack like me? How rude.” Peter’s smile doesn’t falter when he straightens up and clasps his hands behind his back.

“Maybe because you’re evil.” Liam rebukes, tearing his gaze away from Peter.

“Was is the keyword, and so was Theo but you take quite a liking to him.”

“That’s it!” Liam lets out a menacing growl. He flicks his wrists, bringing out his claws, and feels his teeth shift into sharp fangs. He levels Peter with a glower and flares his golden eyes at him. “I’m going to tear you apart!” He lunges forward, full intent on slicing the older werewolf open, but immediately gets stopped by Scott grabbing his arms and pulling him back.

“I’m starting to like your little beta, Scott.” Peter laughs quietly and grins in response to Scott’s solemn glare.

“Liam!” Scott shouts, shoving Liam against the wall and moving his head back when the beta starts to snap his teeth at him and snarl. “Peter, please refrain from making comments about Theo. The next time I won’t be here to stop him from killing you.”

“What makes you think he’ll kill me?” Peter asks with an arched eyebrow. “He’s just a boy.”

Scott turns his head to glance at Peter. “A boy with serious anger issues. He has IED, and you know how werewolves are. The angrier they get the stronger they are.”

Peter raises his arms in surrender. “You got it.”

Scott looks back at Liam and flares his red eyes at him. “Calm down.” He growls. “Find your anchor, Liam.”

Liam closes his eyes and obeys. He thinks about Theo and tries to find a happy memory they share. A memory that will get him to shift back.

_“Still working on that anger?” Theo asks from somewhere above, startling the distracted beta._

_Liam twists around and lifts his head to look up at the chimera who’s wearing his signature smirk. The chimera jumps off the tree and lands on the grass without a second thought. Theo lifts his head and pushes himself off the ground, standing up straight._

_“What the fuck?” Liam exclaims. “Where the hell did you come from? Were you stalking me?”_

_“Actually no,” Theo says and laughs. “I was out for a run and heard someone before I recognized your scent. I recognized the burning anger and heard the heavy breathing and grinding teeth. Saw the claws, fangs, and yellow eyes.” He shoves his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt and quirks an eyebrow. “What triggered you this time?”_

_Liam sighs, retracting his claws and fangs and grimaces at the thought of why he was angry in the first place. “I snapped at one of my teammates, and we almost got into a fight. I left practice before I could...you know...hurt him. Led me here.”_

_“No shame in that. Teenagers are assholes,” Theo jokes. The corner of his lips twitches into a smile while he walks past Liam. “Walk with me it’ll clear your head.”_

_“I have nothing better to do.” Without a single doubt in mind, Liam follows after him._

Falling back into the present, Liam’s anger is gone and his human nails are clutching Scott’s arm in an attempt to push him off. He opens his eyes and lets go of the alpha’s arm. Scott sighs in relief and pats his neck. The younger boy catches a glimpse of Scott’s ripped hoodie before he retracts his arm. “You’re okay.” Scott smiles.

“I— sorry.” Liam flicks his gaze to stare down at his feet and feels his face burn in shame.

“No need to apologize. I wanted to hurt Peter many times. It takes practice to control my shift when I’m with him.” Scott grins eliciting a small smile from Liam. “We’ll come back as soon as we can. I promise.”

Liam nods. “Get him back for me,” he whispers and leans in to hug Scott.

“I will,” Scott promises. He rubs Liam’s back in a comforting manner before pulling away. “Don’t do anything stupid, Peter,” he says before walking away.

“No promises, but now I know not to tempt your beta,” Peter calls out after him before walking back inside his loft. “Come on in, kids. Don’t make a mess and keep to your corner.”

Nolan looks over at Liam with wide eyes, and they share a look of dread before walking inside the loft.

“Can you shut the gate behind you?” Peter says.

“I guess,” Liam murmurs. He slides the gate close with ease and hears a lock click shut.

“Wonderful, wonderful. Are you boys hungry? I haven’t had a guest in months. My only company is Malia when she skypes me,” Peter explains while moving around in the kitchen.

_I wonder why,_ Liam thinks to himself. He and Nolan take their places on the tall stools by a metal table that’s designed to be ‘the dining table.’ “I haven’t eaten a proper meal in days. Food would be great. Poison would be phenomenal,” Liam says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Maybe there’s some truth into it since he would rather be anywhere but here. He leans his elbow on the table and props his cheek on the palm of his hand.

“You want my famous chicken casserole or rat poison?” Peter asks.

“Rat poison,” Liam deadpans.

Nolan side-eyes Liam and widens his eyes in fear before exclaiming, “we want the chicken casserole!”

“Good choice, Nolan. I was tempted to give you boys rat poison.” Peter hides his smirk by turning away and starts looking through the cabinets on getting the needed sauté pan for the dish.

“Was he serious?” Nolan whispers to Liam who shrugs in response. The boy’s face grows pale.

Liam sighs, taking pity in Nolan’s obliviousness. “No, he wasn’t serious. Rat poison doesn’t even work on me,” he points out then realizes that Nolan is, in fact, _not_ a werewolf. “but it will on you since you’re human.”

“I said I was sorry for beating you up.” Nolan frowns, bowing his head in shame and looking up at the beta. The guilt is strong in the air and it cuts through Liam’s anger. Nolan _should_ feel guilty about it but _fuck,_ does he really have to be a big baby about it?

“Yeah, I know, but it’s still fun to mess around with you like that,” Liam says with a devilish grin. He’s seen and felt the fear in Nolan’s eyes. Monroe used that fear to her advantage and twisted it, forcing him to aim his anger at the werewolves. Maybe Liam is over it, but he hasn’t forgotten about it.

“I can see that,” Nolan mumbles. He props his chin on his hands where they laid flat on the table.

“I fought Liam once during his first year of being a werewolf. We’ve all been there,” Peter explains without looking up from the sauté pan. Steam is coming out of it and Liam has a feeling what they’re about to eat _isn’t_ chicken.

“But this time if we do end up in a fight I’ll be angry enough to kill you myself,” Liam says.

“Taking your words to heart. I’m just trying to make this chicken casserole.”

“Try making it without planning a secret evil plan to take us down— again.”

“Okay, Liam.” Nolan lets out a tight chuckle and pats Liam’s arm to try and get him to calm down.

“What makes you think I don’t already have a secret evil plan to take you down— again?” Peter asks.

“Your secret evil plans suck anyway. I mean really? You got duped by a group of teenagers who don’t know what they’re doing,” Liam shoots back.

“Okay, you got me there.” Peter sighs. “But I’m done with my evil ways because Malia is generous enough to hang out with her father. Sadly, I heard you can’t do the same.”

A growl escapes Liam’s mouth and Nolan tightens his hold on his arm. “Sadly, I heard you can’t be the alpha, and you’re nothing but a lone wolf.”

“We should do something fun,” Nolan suggests, cutting Peter off before he can further tempt Liam.

“Like what?” Liam asks through gritted teeth. Why didn’t Scott chain him to a tree again instead of leaving him with Peter? It’s not like Liam can escape except it depends on his anger and the desperate need to have his anchor by his side.

“A board game?” Nolan asks. “Do you have any board games?” He aims his question toward Peter.

“What do you think I look like a grandfather?”

“Yes,” Liam and Nolan say in unison.

Peter rolls his eyes. “For your information, I’m not that older than your parents, and the board games are underneath the marble table in the lounge area. Go crazy.” He waves his hand and turns back to the stove. Liam can’t see what he’s putting in the sauté pan, but he merely hopes it’s something good enough for him to stomach.

The two boys stand from their seats and make their way toward the lounge area. Nolan crouches beside the marble table and slides the board games from underneath the furniture. “He has Uno, Clue, Scrabble, and Monopoly.”

“Let’s play Monopoly.” Liam smirks and rubs his hands together. “It’ll keep us busy for a while, and I get to kick both your asses.”

“And what makes you think I’ll join you in your little game?” Peter asks.

“I bet you a hundred bucks in cash and a drive around Beacon Hills in your car I’ll win,” Liam calls out over his shoulder while he grabs the box from Nolan.

“Daring are we?” Peter laughs. “But if I win you owe me two hundred dollars in cash.”

“Deal.” Liam shrugs and walks back to the kitchen to stick his hand out. Peter grasps his hand and shakes it to confirm the deal.

“Let the games begin,” Peter sing-songs.

• • •

“You just got _bankrupted,_ bitch!” Liam cackles loudly in the room while throwing his monopoly cash at Peter. “Give me my hundred dollars in cash and the keys to your car!”

“How did you do that?” Peter asks, glaring at the board game as if it would erupt in flames then glancing at Liam with narrowed eyes. “I’m calling it you cheated.”

“I cheated?” Liam gasps loudly, placing a hand over his heart. He eyes Peter with distaste at his dubious assumptions. “If anyone cheated it would be you! You’re a big fat cheating _liar!”_

“I’ve never lied in my life!” Peter exclaims.

_“Never?!”_ Liam screams, making Nolan jump from where he’s sitting on the ground next to the beta. “You lied and manipulated your way into being resurrected and wanted to take Scott’s power. You-You’re practically a megalomaniac!”

“Megalomaniac?” Nolan questions but gets ignored by Liam and Peter.

“You got a point there, but you did cheat!” Peter crosses his arms and lifts his chin, staring down Liam.

“I didn’t fucking cheat! You cheated! The fuck?!” Liam throws his arms in the air and gestures wildy at Peter, almost smacking Nolan in the process. How dare this mendacious werewolf claim Liam cheated? He knows he didn’t because he sucks at cheating!

“Guys, it’s just Monopoly,” Nolan says tentatively. He sighs and falls back on the ground with a feeble thud.

“Pay up, old man!” Liam holds his palm out and gestures with his fingers in a ‘come here’ motion.

“A deal’s a deal,” Peter grumbles. He grabs his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and flips it open to take out a hundred dollar bill. He hands it to Liam who snatches it out of his grasp.

“And the keys?” Liam questions with a quirked eyebrow.

Peter sighs and grabs his car keys from his other pocket to hand them to Liam.

“I’ll return them when I’m finished with my tour of Beacon Hills.” Liam smirks devilish and stuffs the money and keys inside the pockets of his maroon hoodie.

“Take care of her,” Peter says firmly while making his way to the kitchen. “The chicken casserole should be done by now. Gather around children and let’s eat.”

Liam scrunches up his face in mild disgust at Peter’s nickname for them. He stands from the ground and clutches Nolan’s hand to help him off the ground. The board game is forgotten as they walk to the dining table and sit down next to each other. Peter places two plates filled of food and silverware in front of Liam and Nolan.

The chicken casserole looks _decent._ Not good, but also not too bad. Maybe that’s why Peter decided to kill them instead of becoming a cheff. He would make a horrible cheff. Liam grabs his fork and refrains from making a face when he takes a piece from the casserole. He takes a bite out of it and chews slowly to savor the flavor. Huh, it’s not bad.

“I gotta say this isn’t half bad,” Liam admits. Maybe Peter _is_ good at something that isn’t taking a part time job as a villain.

“Is that a compliment I heard?” Peter asks.

“Shove it. You only get one,” Liam snaps eliciting an amused laugh from the older werewolf.

Nolan starts to eat his portion of food and nods in agreement with Liam’s words. “It’s really good,” he murmurs.

They fall into silence and for the first time that day it isn’t uncomfortable or tense. The board game managed to divert Liam’s attention away from coming up with bizarre plans to _save Theo_ and instead brought out his competitive side. In the back of his mind, he’s still worried about the chimera, but it’s not as severe as it was before. His rebuilt hope is keeping him grounded. Scott and the others will find them. Liam has to believe they will.

The rest of the day is calm and quiet without their vexatious arguements ruining their peaceful treaty. His and Peter’s snarky comments toward each other have become less frequent, and they started to enjoy each other’s company despite how much Liam bugs the hell out of Peter.

“Ughhhh!” Liam groans loudly, dropping his head against the couch. “Why isn’t there anything good on TV?” He asks, rapdily changing the channels. “Did you pay the cable?”

“Yes, I did. You don’t like romcoms?” Peter asks, taking his spot next to Liam who’s sitting in the middle of the couch while Nolan sits on the other side with the bowl of popcorn on his lap.

“Sometimes.” Liam shrugs. “But I don’t feel like crying. I want to watch an action movie like Wonder Woman. She’s badass, or maybe Captain Marvel. I love both of them.”

“They’re both from two completely different universes,” Peter says.

“You’re point? Can’t I just like Marvel _and_ DC? Why do we have to choose? Both universes have great characters and storylines. Have you seen Wonder Woman? Like whoa if I were straight, I would definitely date her.”

“You’re not straight?” Peter asks, turning his attenion away from the TV.

“No, I figured out I was gay after my first relationship with a girl. Crazy right?” Liam giggles. Now thinking back toward it all Liam can do is find amusement.

“It happens.” Peter nods and turns back toward the TV. “Laura dated a couple of men before she figured out she was a lesbian.”

“Props to her.” Liam nods with a smile. “She seems like a cool girl. Too bad you killed her for her power.”

“Right, that wasn’t my greatest moment we know.”

“You don’t have a lot of great moments, but playing Monopoly with you is one. We managed not to kill each other, and now look at us.” Liam snatches the bowl from Nolan and grabs a handful of popcorn to stuff it inside his mouth. “We’re sharing popcorn,” he says around the mouthful of popcorn, a couple of them dropping to the floor.

“Watch the carpet. It was expensive,” Peter says.

“Five-second rule!” Liam exclaims, reaching over to snatch the fallen popcorn and stuff them inside his mouth.

“Hey, John Wick is on,” Nolan points out. During Liam’s distraction, he grabbed the remote from him and continued to change the channels until he found a channel with an action movie playing.

“John Wick is always on but fine. The movies are still good.” Liam takes another handful of popcorn to shove inside his mouth.

“Don’t take all the popcorn,” Peter grumbles, taking the bowl from Liam.

The three sit in comfortable silence except for the opening scene of John Wick playing on the screen. Even if Liam has watched the films many times he’s always intrigued in the plot and action scenes.

It isn’t until hours later when they’re about to begin John Wick 3 when they’re interrupted by the loud banging.

Peter stands from the couch and walks up to the gate to turn off the alarm and unlock the gate before sliding it open. Scott and Stiles shove their way inside followed by Mason, Corey, Brett, and Alec. The whole group is drenched in water and shaking from the cold. Liam looks through the large windows and realizes it started to rain while they were having their movie marathon. 

Scott and Stiles struggle to get a grip on the map and accidentally get it wet from their fussing. They each take a marker with shaking hands and wide eyes, alerting Liam without the boy having to decipher their chemosignals filled with sorrow. Mason and Corey stand by and grip onto each other’s hands for support. Mason does his best to try and calm Corey’s racing heart by stroking his back and hugging him close to his chest. Brett and Alec don’t look that much better. Alec seems closed off while Brett is trying to hide his emotions behind a mask, but Liam can smell the stench of anxiety wafting from the group.

“What happened?” Liam asks reluctantly, not wanting to know the horrid truth, but he _has_ to. He rises from his seat and walks over to the group where they’re gathered around the table. He glances over Scott’s shoulder and watches as Scott and Stiles fiddle with the markers with slipper fingers and tense movements. Scott draws a big red X on the north side of Beacon Hills.

“Mason and Corey status update? Anything?” Stiles snaps, his eyes cast downwards with a clenched jaw.

“No…” Mason whispers, tightening his grip on Corey’s hand to stop his trembling. Scott curses under his breath and draws a big red X on the west side of Beacon Hills.

“Brett, Alec? Tell me you got something?” Stiles asks, his eyes going everywhere on the map.

“Wish we did,” Brett murmurs, averting Liam’s gaze when the beta turns to look at him.

Stiles draws another X on the east side of Beacon Hills and breathes out heavily through his nose. “He can’t be around here.” He circles the south side with his finger and shakes his head. “My dad or Parrish would’ve told us something, and Eichen House is a red zone for the supernatural.”

“There are no other places to look,” Scott admits. His shoulders slump in defeat and he caps the marker before dropping it on the table. “The only place we haven’t searched is the woods but they go on for miles. It’ll take days!”

“Then we start,” Liam finally speaks up, startling Scott. “We start searching the woods now.”

“We can’t right now, Liam. We’re tired, and it’s raining.” Scott runs a hand through his wet hair and sheds off his soaked hoodie.

“We can’t stop. We don’t have time. Three days, Scott. Three days!”

“I know!” Scott shouts, flaring his red eyes at Liam who takes a step back in shock. Scott closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose, taking a deep breath to calm his anger. “I know,” he repeats much more quieter. He drops his arm and opens his eyes to look at Liam. “Deaton said the Djinn usually discards their victims after three to five days. Maybe…” he trails off.

“Maybe what?” Liam asks with a shaky breath, his chemosignals going haywire with anxiety. He’s scared of the answer.

“Maybe there is no hope in finding Theo, and we’ll have to accept that. Liam he might be _dead.”_ Scott’s voice rises toward the end when Liam begins to shake his head and walk away from the group, refusing to listen to any more of Scott’s nonsense.

“But Theo isn’t human!” Liam snaps, twisting around to level Scott with a glare. “He-He’s strong, okay? Maybe stronger than any of us with the weight on his shoulders. After everything that’s happened to him we owe it to him to save him from his own head.” Liam steps forward, his eyes flaring golden. “We’re not giving up on him.”

“We’re not giving up, but it might be too late,” Scott whispers.

“It can’t be. Theo can’t die. Why are you talking like this?” Liam asks. “If it were _anyone else_ you wouldn’t talk like this!” He gestures wildly with his arms. “Is this different because Theo used to be the villain? Well, he isn’t that person anymore. He’s changed a lot, and I thought you of all people would understand.” He scoffs and shakes his head, tearing his gaze away from his alpha. “But all of you see him as the same person before and refuse to acknowledge the way he helps the pack. Helps all of us.”

Liam turns around and starts walking out of the loft.

“Liam!” Mason shouts his name, but Liam ignores it and continues to exit out of the building with newfound determination.

After walking through the front entrance, Liam immediately gets drenched in water from the pouring rain. He moves the wet strands of his bangs out of his face and takes out the keys to Peter’s vehicle. He presses the button to unlock the doors and hears a faint beeping noise amongst the loud rain. He turns his head and spots the white Chevy Camaro. He walks over to the vehicle and opens the door, clambering into the driver’s seat.

Liam closes the door and steps on the brake, turning the car on by pushing the button on the side. The whole car lights up and the heater blasts on full power, warming him up. He reverses the car out of the parking lot and drives to the woods. He breaks a couple of speeding laws but the cops aren’t patrolling the roads to stop him.

It doesn’t take long before he ends up in front of the preserver. He doesn’t take the time to turn off the car because he’s already climbing out of the driver’s seat and shutting the door behind him, getting covered in water again. He breaks out into a run and jumps over the wooden fence, not taking a moment to slow down as he flares his eyes and looks around to try and find any source of direction that will lead him to Theo.

All he can make out is the rain pouring down on him, preventing him from using his sense of smell and hearing. He has to rely on his sight and wolf instincts to find the chimera. All he’s getting in return from his wolf is the unadulterated anger threatening to break free.

_“People only feel one emotion at a time, Liam. Which is why you get angry when you’re afraid.”_

No, not anger. _Fear._ His wolf is threatening to break free so it can run away and hide, but Liam can’t hide. Not now. Not _ever._

His breathing becomes ragged with loud gasps, making his lungs burn the longer he runs. His heart thuds radpily against his heaving chest in time when his feet hit the ground. His legs become heavy and numb as it gets harder to get one foot in front of the other. All he can see are trees and more trees, making him huff in frustration. He pushes himself harder as he twists his head to look at every corner amongst the darkness.

The toe of his shoe hits the edge of the wooden bridge where it meets the earth and Liam goes down hard, scraping his hands and knees. He groans in pain and lifts himself onto his hands and knees. He crawls to the railing and grips it tightly to pull himself up. He looks down at the water and sees his reflection staring back at him. For a split second, he doesn’t recognize himself and it makes him reel back, tripping over a crooked rusty nail. His weak body stumbles to the ground, and he lands on his back with a loud groan escaping his chapped lips.

Liam turns on his side and curls into a ball, hugging his knees against his chest as a wave of tears start to fall. Tears of pain and the realization he might lose Theo. He feels _hopeless._ The tears drip off the edge of his nose and land onto the wooden bridge, mixing in with the rain. It gets harder to look through his watery eyes as a loud sob shakes his whole body.

Liam starts to shiver and shake uncontrollably from the cold and his heavy sobs, but he makes no move to stand and go back to the car. He merely slumps in defeat and cries all his emotions out. Anger, sadness, guilt, everything. Maybe if he looked a little harder or just cared about Theo a little more the chimera wouldn’t be missing. Maybe if Liam wasn’t stuck in his self-loathing after his parents left and noticed the way Theo took care of him then he would still be here. His anchor would still be here, trying to calm Liam down with his cruel words that work a little too well.

Liam doesn’t know how much time has passed when it stops raining, but he’s done crying. He’s shivering on the bridge with no thought of moving. _What’s the point?_ He’s too distraught to do anything.

He remembers the story about Theo’s sister dying on this very bridge. Remembers the remorse Theo feels when thinking about her despite the boy trying to hide it from the others, but Liam always noticed the little things. The way Theo stares at a spot a little too long with a look of dread in his watery eyes and trembling hands. The sound of his shaky voice when he utters her name, and the moment he comes back to reality when Liam whispers his name. Liam knows the signs of PTSD when he sees it. He used to experience the flashbacks a lot when the berserkers were around. He used to dream about them every night. It’s not as frequent as before but he still gets nightmares when they decide to haunt his mind.

Theo always has a certain smile reserved for Tara when he talks about her. It’s sad but there’s a sense of nostalgia, and Liam notices the uptick of his heartbeat when thinking about her.

_Thump-thump._

Liam scrambles to his feet and focuses his hearing on the heartbeat. It’s faint and the beats are too far apart, but he can _hear_ it. He _knows_ that heartbeat. He’s grown used to it, and he can pick it out in a crowd full of people. It shows how strong their bond is. Shows how far Liam’s appetency goes.

_Thump-thump._

“Theo!” Liam shouts, hearing his voice echo. He breaks into a run and follows the sound. He focuses on the heartbeat and ignores the pain and aches throughout his body. He can feel his tired muscles burn as he pushes himself to run faster.

He makes it out of the woods and jumps over the wooden fence. _I knew it was a great idea to leave the car running._ Liam jumps into the car and starts driving in the direction where the sound is leading him toward.

Liam ends up at the entrance of the tunnels. _Why didn’t we think of this?_ No time to think _just go._ He doesn’t bother shutting the car door when scrambling out of the vehicle and running into the dark tunnels.

“I hate this place,” Liam murmurs. He feels a shudder run through his body as a swarm of memories comes to mind about this place. He slows down and walks through the tunnels while still keeping an ear out for Theo’s heartbeat.

He stops in his tracks and turns toward the wall with a questioning gaze. He leans his ear against the concrete and waits for the heartbeat.

_Thump-thump._

Liam lets out a relieved sigh. He reels back and looks around the area with narrowed eyes, seeing the place filled with leaking pipes that are covered in a layer of dirt. His gaze catches a mirror in the middle of the wall and steps forward to touch it. He pulls his finger back and grimaces at the amount of dust. He wipes it off with his shirt before looking back at it again.

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” Liam asks. “Is it like in the movies? I turn it and the entrance to a secret evil lair pops up?” With a shrug, he turns it and the door behind him opens. He turns his head to look over his shoulder and his eyes widened in shock. “No fucking way.”

Liam squeezes through the small gap and takes a look around, feeling another shudder run through his body when he figures out it’s the Dread Doctors’ operating theater. Everything is exactly the same like he last saw it. He didn’t realize they had a secret entrance to go through. He didn’t think much of it while fighting them off and then the Beast decided to ruin the party.

_Focus, Liam._

Liam follows the faint heartbeat to another room and lets out a small laugh of delight when he _finally_ spots Theo. “Oh my God, Theo!” He runs forward and cups the older boy’s face, eyeing his pale features and feeling how cold he is.

He runs his blue eyes over the rope bounding Theo down to a chair and the IVs drawing his blood. He looks around and spots a first aid kit in the corner of the room next to an operating table. “At least the Dread Doctors are resourceful,” Liam mumbles, leaving Theo’s side.

Liam grabs the box and opens it, grabbing the clean bandages. He returns to his spot beside Theo and sets the bandages aside. With shaking fingers, he takes the needle out of Theo’s skin with gentle care. Liam curses and covers Theo’s wrist when streaks of blood start to land on the ground. Liam grits his teeth and blocks out the metallic scent of blood as he wraps the bandages around Theo’s wrist. He repeats the process of taking out the other needle and bandaging Theo’s wrist to stop the blood loss.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Liam promises, patting down his pockets. He takes out his cellphone and frowns at the drenched screen. He holds down the power button and sucks in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. “Crap.”

Liam tosses the cellphone and looks back at Theo with wide eyes. He takes a look around the room and uses his hearing to make sure there aren’t any other heartbeats in the room. None.

Liam takes a deep breath and digs around his mind for the wolf. It comes without difficulty, and he lets the shift take over him. He tips his head back and howls for his pack, giving them his exact location.

Almost immediately, he hears Scott’s howl in response. _They’re coming._

Liam intertwines their fingers and leans his forehead against Theo’s hand. “I’m here now,” he whispers. “I should’ve been here since the beginning.”

A new presence emerges from behind Liam. His wolf alerts him of the danger, and he twists around sharply, shielding Theo’s body from view. His eyes widened in shock when he spotted the Djinn standing a few feet away from him. The symbols on the creature’s body start to glow and his claws cut through the air. Liam moves his body out of the way before the Djinn can wound him, but the creature doesn’t give up so easily. He comes at Liam again, but the boy is too weak and exhausted to attack back.

“No!”


	7. The Sun, The Moon, The Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter after three weeks. :D Unfortunately I started my college courses this week, so that means less time for writing. I will manage my time to finish this though. Three more chapters until I’m done! Yay! I’m so proud of myself.
> 
> I was unmotivated to edit sorry, but I had enough motivation to write. That makes up for it right?
> 
> This chapter is in Scott’s POV. I hope I did him justice. Enjoy! Comments are always appreciated. I love reading them xx

“Liam!”

Mason steps forward toward the gate but Corey pulls him back by tightening his grip.

Mason turns around and gives Corey a pleading look but his boyfriend shakes his head. “He needs to be alone right now. His mind isn’t in the right place,” Corey explains. He lets go of Mason’s hand and travels his fingers toward his neck. He taps the pads of his fingers against the smooth skin and sighs. “I don’t want you two getting into a fight.”

Mason stares at Corey for a few long seconds with a clenched jaw and a solemn expression. He turns his head to look at the open gate with conflict written over his face, then— his shoulders slump in defeat. “He’s not okay,” he whispers.

_He’s not okay._

The words cut through the fog of Scott’s mind and he lets out a shuddering sigh. He drops down on the metal stool by the dining table and runs his hands through his hair. Bile rises in his throat and he has to suppress the urge to gag when his stomach twists painfully. Guilt. Worry. Failure.

The engine of a car starts up and the vehicle tears out of the parking lot at high speed. Scott hears Peter mumbling under his breath about angry werewolves stealing his car. The alpha pays him no mind in favor of sulking in his regret for the harsh words he shared with Liam.

“Couldn’t be a little more optimistic there, great alpha?” Stiles asks, suddenly appearing beside him. He pulls the stool from underneath the table and sits down on it. “For a second there I thought he was going to break your nose. At least I wouldn’t be alone.”

“Stiles,” Scott warns, turning his head to glare at his best friend.

“Okay, no jokes, sorry,” Stiles murmurs, raising his hands. “I know what I said was kind of a dick move-”

“Kind of?” Scott asks, quirking an eyebrow. From what he remembered, it was enough to trigger Liam to _punch_ Stiles. Scott himself has been in situations where he wanted to punch Stiles, but it wasn’t enough to fulfill the desired action that would leave him satisfied. His best friend can be an asshole sometimes, and he did scratch at a fresh wound.

Stiles sighs and puts his hands down, leaning his elbows on the table. “Okay, it _was_ a dick move, and I feel really bad about it.” He turns to look at Scott in the eye. “In another universe, I would’ve left Theo for dead, but I can’t believe I’m saying this,” he mumbles the last part to himself but Scott is able to hear him clearly. “I want him back just as much as the rest do.”

Stiles gestures to the rest of the people, and Scott follows his line of direction toward the rest of their pack. The bitter scent of vinegar, burning wood, and salt are strong in the air, alerting Scott of the group’s grief for their pack member. Even if it’s not official Theo _does_ smell like the pack. Scott had caught a whiff of Theo’s scent on the black hoodie Liam was wearing. The piece of clothing too baggy on the younger boy and Scott found himself thinking back toward it more than once.

Liam’s immense anger, his determination to find Theo, his confession about the chimera being his anchor, and going as far as wearing the hoodie that belongs to Theo. His scent is strong enough to tell the werewolves who the hoodie belongs to.

Scott has seen firsthand how much Theo has changed, but not to the point of redemption. He still needed a lot of work before Scott was ready to forgive him, but after seeing the reaction of their pack Theo is a completely different person. He has _desires_ just like everyone else. He’s still human. 

“Me too,” Scott admits while turning back towards Stiles. “I wish I could’ve done more today.”

“You did your best, Scott. Don’t ever think otherwise.” Stiles grips Scott’s shoulder and pats him in the back. “We all tried our best, and it will work out in the end.”

“It doesn’t look that way,” Scott points out.

“Call it a hunch but I have a feeling it will,” Stiles says.

Scott really hopes so. He stands from the stool with difficulty. His limbs refusing to cooperate every time he moves. He’s tired and wants nothing more than a warm bed after a midnight snack. “Go home and get some rest. We’ll regroup in the morning with a new strategy,” he calls out to the pack.

“What about Liam?” Mason asks.

“He’ll be fine on his own. He’s strong,” Scott says. “And if we don’t hear from him we’ll find him too. We need our rest. We’re worn out.”

Mason nods and turns to face Corey. He intertwines their fingers and tugs him away, leading them through the entrance. The rest of the pack follows soon, leaving Peter alone in his loft.

“You owe me for babysitting your beta, Scott,” Peter says when they’re at the doorway.

“I’ll tell Malia you’re meeting her for dinner this weekend,” Scott deadpans with a sigh.

Peter grins. “Nice working with you!” He slides the gate close and Scott turns around, following Stiles outside the building and into the parking lot where the jeep is parked at. Scott pulls his hoodie over his head as the rain pours down on them and makes them shiver.

Scott climbs into the passenger’s seat while Stiles takes the driver’s seat. “You think Liam will be fine out on his own?” Stiles asks. His scent changes into one of worry and it makes Scott frown.

“I don’t know,” Scott admits. “But he won’t want to talk to me.”

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Stiles points out.

While Stiles starts up the jeep and drives to Scott’s house, the alpha takes his cellphone out of his pocket. He accesses his contact list and clicks on Liam’s name to call his number. He holds the device close to his ear and waits as it rings.

Liam’s voicemail comes on and Scott ends the call with a defeated sigh. “Nothing. I’ll call him in the morning.”

“Good idea.” Stiles nods. The rest of the car ride is silent except for the heavy rain landing on the vehicle.

It doesn’t take long for them to arrive at Scott’s house, and Stiles slows his jeep to a stop in the driveway. “You don’t mind if I go inside to say hi to your mom?” Stiles asks.

“Of course not. She’s always happy to see you,” Scott points out with a smile.

“Good because I miss the little sandwiches she would make us.” Stiles cuts off the engine of his vehicle and clambers out through the door.

Scott chuckles and shakes his head as he climbs out of the vehicle. He shuts the door behind him and the pair walk up to the front porch while he digs into his pocket for his house keys

• • •

Scott turns on his side and looks at the glowing red numbers on his clock. 12:55 AM. After dinner and a warm shower, he thought he would be asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, but here he is, lying awake and staring into the darkness.

He turns on his back and closes his eyes. He tries to relax on the warm and comfortable bed but the wolf inside him refuses to fall asleep. His wolf is walking in circles and growling, wanting to come out because of the nagging feeling in the back of his head.

What is it?

Then he hears it.

The howl.

Scott shoots upright from the bed and snaps his head toward the direction of his window. “Liam?!” He shouts then lets out an ear-piercing howl before he can stop it, to signal to the beta he’s coming for him.

“Stiles! Get up!” Scott shouts as he runs around the bedroom to slip on a pair of socks and shoes. “Stiles? Are you awake?” He grabs a random hoodie from his closet and slips it on before he hears his bedroom slam open.

“I’m here! Where?!” Stiles shouts, looking around the bedroom while clutching his metal bat.

“It’s Liam.” Scott grabs his cellphone from the nightstand and calls Liam’s number. “We need to go. He needs help.” The call goes straight to voicemail and he swears, shoving past Stiles to run down the stairs.

“Where?” Stiles asks, following after Scott and fumbling with taking his car keys out of his pajama pants.

“The tunnels,” Scott answers, wrenching the front door open and making his way to the vehicle. “I heard the echos. He’s in the tunnels. Of course! We should’ve checked the tunnels!”

“Hey, Scotty! I need my shoes, hang on!” Stiles runs back up the stairs as Scott waits by the jeep. He paces the driveway as he counts the seconds until Stiles is running through the front door.

“You wouldn’t of known,” Stiles reminds him as they climb into the jeep. “You think Theo is there too?”

“He has to. Let’s hope I’m wrong about being too late,” Scott says. Stiles starts the jeep and starts to drive in the direction of the tunnels.

• • •

Stiles’s jeep screeches to a halt when they arrive at the entrance of the tunnels. Scott wastes no time in scrambling out of the vehicle and running into the darkness of the tunnels. He flares his eyes to make sure he is going the right way. He ignores the aching in his legs and the burning in his lungs from how fast he’s running. He hears the stomping feet of Stiles behind him but Scott is already too far ahead.

Scott spots the door inclining outward and stumbles through the entrance. His shoulder smacks painfully against the door but he ignores the spark of pain that immediately dulls to numbness from his healing.

He catches the metallic scent of blood before he finds Liam on the ground, desperately trying to fight off the Djinn. “Scott!” Liam shouts his name when he catches sight of his alpha. His arms shake with difficulty and his grip on the Djinn’s wrist is slipping. Liam growls and snaps his teeth at the creature.

Scott roars, baring his fangs, and tackles the Djinn to the ground. He feels his claws coming out from his nailbeds and brings his hands down to shred the creature’s arms and chest. The Djinn blocks his next hit and pushes him off. Scott lands on the ground with a groan of pain. His head painfully smacks against the pavement and black spots start to form in the corners, making him lose his vision momentarily from the concussion.

Scott props himself up on his elbows and brings a hand to the back of his head. He draws his hand back to see streaks of blood trailing down his fingers. “Liam?” He calls out weakly, looking up from his bloody hands.

Liam scrambles to the spot beside Scott and grips his hand to lift him from the ground. Scott squeezes his eyes shut and his grip loosens. His body sways from dizziness, but he’s saved by Liam’s hand gripping onto his shirt for support.

“Leave now or I’ll kill him.” The voice of the Djinn brings shivers to Scott’s body. It’s more creature than human, and he’s afraid they won’t win this fight from how strong the creature is. The Djinn has his claws digging into Theo’s throat and Scott’s heart skips a beat at the sight of the chimera. If it weren’t for his faint heartbeat the alpha would come to the conclusion that he’s _dead._

“No!” Liam steps forward reluctantly. He looks back at Scott with wide eyes. “What do we do?” He asks in a weak voice.

“I—” Scott slams his mouth shut and swallows. His throat starts to close up at the unadulterated _fear_ he and his beta have.

“Scott?” Liam whimpers, nudging him on the side.

Scott feels frozen to the spot. He can see the red scratches the Djinn is leaving behind, and Theo’s bandages are soaked with blood. He doesn’t have a lot of time. If they lose this fight, Theo will be _dead._ Scott already lost a lot of people in his lifetime. He knows how it feels to lose the love of his life. He can’t fail Liam, but he doesn’t know what to do. His mind comes up blank. He stands there a second too long, and the copper scent of blood is so strong he can taste it at the back of his tongue.

“You’re running out of time.” The Djinn warns and his claws dig deeper into Theo’s throat.

“NO!” Liam growls and springs into action, running to the creature to tear him away from Theo’s side. His claws were in too deep, leaving bloody wounds on the boy’s neck.

Liam is fully shifted now, and Scott watches in horror as the beta snarls so loudly he can feel it in his bones. Liam pins the Djinn against the wall, feeling the anger pump adrenaline throughout the young werewolf’s body.

It feels like forever when Scott finally moves, but he’s too late. Liam digs his claws into the Djinn’s neck and tears the muscle apart, coating his hand and shirt in blood. The Djinn crumples to the floor and Scott feels dread the moment his heartbeat stops.

Liam doesn’t stop.

He pounces on the corpse and drives his claws into the creature’s body, shredding him into a mess of blood and muscles. The immense rage in the beta’s eyes stops Scott in his tracks.

It’s only when Stiles finally arrives that Liam stops. Stiles stops short at the sight and he looks at Scott who refrains from looking back at him. This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Liam!” Stiles shouts, shoving past Scott and gripping onto Liam’s heaving shoulder. “He’s dead. We need to focus on Theo right now.” He turns toward Scott and snaps his fingers in front of his face. “Come on, Scott. We don’t have a lot of time.”

Scott snaps his jaw shut and nods firmly. “Call my mom. Theo needs blood. He can’t lose anymore.” He walks up to Theo’s slump form and tries to ignore Liam’s slippery bloody hands gripping Theo’s arms. It’s far too much to bear, and it makes him sick.

He knows that sort of anger. The anger that drives werewolves to kill in order to protect their pack. He’s been fighting that anger for so long he forgets it’s harder for Liam with his IED. He can’t blame him, but it’s still hard to look at him as they carry Theo out of the dread doctor’s operating theater and tunnels.

He hates the tunnels. It brings him too many bad memories and today is another memory he has to file away. Liam’s first kill.

He can distinctly hear Stiles talking to his mother on the cellphone as they carry Theo into the back of Stiles’s jeep. Liam climbs in after him and lifts Theo’s head to place it on his lap. Scott doesn’t know what Liam is thinking because his emotions are cut off. He dreads the conversation they’ll have about this.

_Are his eyes blue?_ Scott doesn’t voice the question out loud as Stiles drives toward the hospital by breaking a couple of speeding laws. They don’t exchange a word. Stiles doesn’t make a comment about bloodstains on his seats because it’s not their blood.

• • •

Stiles bursts through the double doors with Scott and Liam carrying Theo not far behind. They’re both exhausted and on the verge of collapsing, but Scott tightens his grip on Theo and pushes forward. Melissa comes to their aid by bringing a stretcher. Scott and Liam heave Theo’s body onto the stretcher.

Another nurse comes to help them and Melissa shouts orders at them to get a doctor. “Anyone who’s available! This boy has lost a lot of blood.” She turns toward Scott. “By any chance do you know his blood type?”

Scott opens his mouth to state that he does not when Liam pipes up beside him. “AB negative. He’s AB negative.”

“I need a blood transfusion now! AB negative!” Melissa shouts her orders while they push the stretcher into the hallway and Theo disappears from view. Liam tries to follow, but Scott grabs his arm and shakes his head.

Melissa walks back to where Scott, Stiles, and Liam are standing. “Do you boys need a change of clothes?” She asks, looking from Scott to Stiles to Liam. Her questioning gaze lingers on Liam, wondering whose blood he’s drenched in.

“If you don’t mind?” Scott asks.

“Not a problem, follow me.” Melissa tears her gaze away from Liam’s clothes and turns around to lead them to the storage room.

Stiles stays behind when Scott and Liam follow the woman. They wait for her outside in the hallway as she gathers two hand me downs for them. She hands them the clothes without another word and Scott enters the restrooms with Liam hot on his heels.

Scott enters one of the bathroom stalls and hears Liam enter a bathroom stall far away from him. His heartbeat is oddly calm and his emotions are still shut off. The alpha can’t decipher a single thing Liam is feeling or thinking. He only hopes that will change once they manage to wake Theo up. He hates seeing his friend this way.

Scott tears off his clothes and grimaces at the bloodstains. Liam’s clothes are _worse._ He is sure they have to throw the clothes away or _burn_ them. What is the punishment for killing a supernatural being? His humanity? Jail time? Whatever it is, Scott knows he will protect his beta no matter what. He can’t justify murder, but he knew the Djinn would’ve killed them if Liam didn’t take the hard choice. It is still hard to think about and another thing to _talk_ about what happened.

Scott finishes putting the clean clothes on and walks out of the bathroom stall. A few seconds later Liam emerges from his bathroom stall and walks up to the sink to turn on the water. Scott watches as he grabs a large amount of soap and scrubs his hands raw under the hot warm. The water is steaming and Liam is staring blankly at his hands. Not really focused on the task but concentrating on another one of his senses.

Scott realizes with a jolt that Liam must be listening to Theo's heartbeat. Scott focuses on his hearing and seeks out the chimera’s heartbeat. He blocks out the other noises in the hospital and zeros in the faint heartbeat. _He’s going to make it._ He has to. It can't be that bad with a little blood loss?

Who is he kidding? Theo lost _a lot_ of blood.

Liam shuts off the water and Scott follows him out of the restrooms. They join Stiles in the waiting room and sit down next to each other without a word. They stay silent as they wait for the inevitable wait of Theo’s survival.

Scott leans forward and props his elbows on his knees. He clasps his hands in front of him and bounces his leg. He focuses on Theo’s weak heartbeat and the frantic conversation between the nurses and doctor.

“He’s going to make it.” Scott hears his mother’s voice, pulling him away from his concentration. He glances up at her, and she smiles sadly. “You got here just in time. Any longer then—” she stops herself, slamming her mouth shut and swallowing.

Liam’s breath hitches and Scott turns toward his beta. Liam is trying to keep the tears at bay and Scott reaches out to grasp his hand and squeeze it in comfort. “He’s going to make it,” Scott repeats to diminish any negative thoughts that are going through Liam’s mind.

Liam squeezes his hand back and nods. Confirmation that he has heard them.

Scott doesn’t move his hand and they wait. Ten minutes later the rest of their pack enter the hospital.

“Oh thank God you’re okay!” Mason exclaims and sighs in relief when he catches sight of Liam.

“We heard the howl,” Brett says, taking his seat across from Scott. “Stiles told us you’d be here.”

Mason, Corey, Alec, and Nolan take their seats close to each other, and it brings a smile to Scott’s face. They’re here for Theo.

“Thank you for coming,” Liam mutters quietly. Brett nods and gives him a small smile before leaning back in his seat.

The minutes tick by into an hour when Melissa returns. A hand nudges him awake and he jumps in his seat. His eyes snap open and he relaxes when he sees his mother’s smiling face.

“How long was I out?” Scott asks. He didn’t know he drifted, and by the sound of the others’ slow heartbeats, they’re in the same state.

“Not too long. The doctor finally left his room,” Melissa informs him.

Scott swallows and turns to face Liam. His head is nestled on his shoulder and Scott can’t help the smile that forms on his face. A wave of guilt overcomes him when he nudges Liam awake. The beta lifts his head and opens his eyes, glancing around in confusion. _When was the last time Liam had a good night’s sleep?_

Scott doesn’t voice his question because he has a good idea of how long it’s been. _Days._ “Let’s go,” he says instead.

Liam doesn’t need him to explain further because he’s scrambling to a standing position and nodding quickly, anticipation vibrating in his bones. Scott stands from the seat and takes a look at Stiles who’s curled up into a small ball and using his sweatshirt as a blanket. Scott will let him and the others sleep.

Melissa guides them through the white hallway until they reach Theo’s room. She opens the door and Scott and Liam enter the room. Liam pushes past him and pulls up a chair beside Theo’s bed. He lowers himself onto the chair while taking Theo’s hand and squeezing gently as if the chimera is someone fragile.

In his comatose state, he does look _fragile._ His pale skin almost blends into the white sheets and the hospital gown he is wearing. How long has it been since Scott has last seen Theo? Months? He can’t remember but Theo’s appearance has changed. He can’t tell if the change is from the months they’ve last seen each other or the days he was kidnapped.

His hair is longer. Without the ridiculous amount of products he uses to maintain his hair, it’s falling all over the pillow, his face, and the dark circles under his eyes. He has put in a lot of work in his body, but that’s isn’t what changed.

Theo’s physical appearance has changed, but there’s something else about him that has changed drastically. Maybe this is the reason why the pack was so hell-bent on finding him.

Liam grips Theo’s hand in both of his and looks at the boy’s face with a grim expression. He turns sad eyes toward his alpha and clears his throat before asking, “you’ll get him back right?” His voice rasps from disuse.

It was hard trying to get the girls back. They outright refused to go back until Scott’s last attempt to convince them. He doesn’t know how different it will be for Theo but damn it he will _try._ Even if he loses himself. “I will,” Scott promises. He’ll die trying.

“I can’t do this without you. Theo, please. Come back to me,” Liam whispers.

Scott walks up on the other side of the bed and feels his claws emerging from his nail beds. He turns Theo’s head to the side and digs his claws into the back of his neck.

All at once, Scott feels like his body is spinning at a fast pace and his vision turns black before a blurry picture begins to form. He blinks a couple of times to regain his vision once the spinning stops and inspects the area. He appears to be on the front lawn of...Liam’s house?

He can hear two heartbeats and laughter coming from inside the house and follows the source. He walks up the front porch and knocks on the door. He steps back and glances around the area. He can’t see the rest of the street from where he’s standing. All there seems to be is Liam’s house.

Speaking of…

Liam opens the door and beams at the sight of his alpha. “Scott!” He shouts enthusiastically and steps forward to hug him. “I didn’t know you were coming.” He releases him before Scott could react and hug him back. “You should’ve called.”

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Scott says. It’s kind of the truth? No one knew he was coming. He just hopes Liam is too distracted to listen to his heartbeat.

“It sure is a surprise.” Liam giggles and smiles at the older boy.

It’s uncanny to see Liam smiling and talking with enthusiasm. Scott realizes how much he misses Liam being the bright and lovable boy he used to be. The boy before his parents left and Theo’s disappearance.

“Who’s at the door?” Scott hears Theo ask before he appears beside Liam. “Scott? College got too much for you?” He smiles and wraps an arm around Liam’s shoulders, pulling him in to kiss his cheek. Liam blushes furiously at the display of affection and pokes Theo on the side. The older boy bites his lower lip to refrain from laughing.

Scott watches their interaction and takes in the combination of their scents with a curious tilt of his head. Theo doesn’t take his eyes off Liam and smiles fondly at the boy who is rambling. He can’t concentrate on what Liam is saying because of their closeness and the change. In the real world, they always smelt of anger, aggravation, and sometimes fear.

Here— they smell of happiness, peacefulness, and...

_Oh._

Love.

“Scott?” Liam calls out to him.

Scott shakes his head and turns to look at Liam with a smile. “Sorry. I’m a bit tired.” Liam begins to frown and looks up at Theo who is giving him the same confused look. “It’s been a rough couple of days. Do you mind if I come inside?” He asks.

“Oh! Of course not. You’re always welcome here,” Liam says and steps aside to let Scott in through the door.

Scott takes in the decor of Liam’s living room and the amount of color there is. They surely are happy. Scott almost feels guilty for crushing Theo’s happy place.

“Do you want something to drink?” Liam asks.

“A-Actually I’m hungry. F-Famished actually. It’s been a loooong day,” Scott sputters and ignores the weird look Theo gives him. “Is it dinner yet?”

“Uh—almost. I was planning on making macaroni and cheese. Mom won’t be here to cook tonight,” Liam says slowly. “Scott, are you alright?”

“Your mom’s here? I mean—Fine. Totally fine. I won’t mind eating macaroni and cheese,” Scott says.

“Okaaay. I don’t even want to know.” Liam shakes his head and disappears from the living room to enter the kitchen.

“You and Liam are such bad liars,” Theo grumbles and crosses his arms over his chest.

“I am not!” Scott says incredulously.

Theo rolls his eyes and sits down on the couch, patting the seat next to him. “Talk to me.” He crosses a leg over his lap and leans back against the couch.

Scott takes his seat next to Theo and sighs. “I don’t know how to say this…”

“Just spit it out.”

“This isn’t real,” Scott blurts out. Before Theo can interject Scott starts to explain. “It’s all in your head. The Djinn got to you. Do you remember?” He asks, scooting to the edge of his seat. “This creature is called a Djinn. They can create powerful hallucinations to keep you unconscious so they can drain you of your blood. I know you might think I’m crazy but I’m not! Listen to my heartbeat. You know I’m telling the truth. This isn’t real. None of this is real!” Scott waves his arms around.

“Scott—”

“You’re dreaming. All of this is a dream. We need to get you back to the real world. Theo, you have to remember—”

“I know!”

Scott slams his mouth shuts and stares wide-eyed at Theo. “What?” He asks.

Theo closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before releasing it. “I know.” His shoulders slump in defeat.

“Then how come you haven’t tried to escape?” Scott asks. He has a good idea of _why_ Theo hasn’t found a way but doesn’t he know Liam feels the same way in the real world?

“You only know the tip of the iceberg.” Theo gestures to the area.

“What else is here?”

“I’m the alpha.” Theo flares his red eyes and Scott gets taken back by the unfamiliar feeling of having to submit. He shakes the feeling off just as quickly. He’s used to it by other alphas trying to get him to submit, and he knows Theo didn’t mean it that way.

“I have a pack.” Theo smiles. “My beta’s name is Annabelle and our emissary is Reina. Liam has his parents back. I’m—I’m not homeless and Liam loves me back.”

“What?” Scott asks in disbelief. “I didn’t know about your homeless situation if I knew—”

“It’s fine. No one knows.” Theo shrugs it off like it’s nothing, and Scott curls his hands into tight fists to keep from shaking Theo and screaming that _it’s not._ “The sheriff and deputy didn’t care much anyway. To save me the disappointment of no one going to offer me a roof over my head I didn’t tell anyone. It’s not their business.”

“But it is! It’s my duty to keep everyone safe in Beacon Hills, and I’ll be damned if I can’t help a friend out,” Scott says firmly.

“We’re not friends,” Theo deadpans. Scott feels a sting of hurt at the statement but Theo seems to believe it based on his calm heartbeat.

“About Liam—”

“Don’t,” Theo snaps, holding a hand up to silence Scott. “Don’t bring him up.”

“But this isn’t real!” Scott shouts, hoping to get through to Theo.

“I know, but this is far better than I’ll ever get in the real world.” Theo seems determined by his answer and Scott fears he won’t be able to convince him, but he won’t give up that easily.

“Just like that? You’re going to give up?” Scott asks in disbelief.

“Eventually I was going to, but hey, it’s for the best right? Your pack hates me.” Theo snorts and turns to look at Scott. “They won’t bat an eye at my death. Maybe they’ll feel guilty for a day or two, but by next week they’ll go on their merry way.”

“You really think that?” Scott asks with wide eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I? You all wanted to kill me. Put me back in the ground. You’ll finally get your wish.” Theo’s bitter tone makes Scott flinch.

“That was before. If I knew what you were dealing with we would’ve never put you down there.” Scott admits and scoots closer to Theo. “Theo, I’m so sorry for what we did to you. We were kids, and I can’t imagine the horrific things you had to go through with your sister. God knows I wouldn’t have handled it the way you do.”

Theo turns away from Scott and he can smell the salt from his tears. “Trust me when I say no one wants you dead. _Your_ pack, Mason, Corey, Brett, Alec, and even Stiles is right beside you fighting for you.”

Theo clenches his jaw and keeps turned away from Scott.

“Even Liam.” The words give him a different response. Disbelief, longing, and guilt. “Especially Liam.”

“They’ll be fine without me,” Theo rasps. “Liam will be fine.”

“No, he won’t. Liam would be devastated, and I fear that he would give up if you were gone,” Scott whispers.

Theo turns to look at Scott with watery eyes. “What do you mean?”

“He’s not okay.” It hurts to say the words but it’s the truth. “He won’t eat, he won’t sleep, and he hasn’t gone to school. He’s been hell-bent on getting you back.”

Theo looks down at his lap and shakes his head. “Scott, please stop. Don’t give me hope. I’ve already gone through enough pain to last a lifetime.”

“I know. I know, but you have to understand—”

“You need to leave.” Theo’s tone of voice changes and Scott freezes in his spot.

“I’m not leaving you here!” Scott exclaims.

“You need to leave now!” Theo shouts, lifting his head to look at Scott with his red glowing eyes.

Before Scott can respond, Liam emerges from the kitchen and steps in between Scott and Theo. “You’re not welcomed here anymore,” Liam threatens.

Scott stands from the couch and takes a step back. All of his instincts are screaming at him to turn around and leave, but he can’t when Theo is still here! “Theo, he's not real!” Scott shouts.

“Leave him alone!” Liam shouts, flaring his blue eyes at Scott who takes another step back in shock. “You’re not his friend, and you’re definitely not here to save him.”

Tattoos start to appear all over Liam’s skin and Scott’s eyes widened in a mixture of fear but also determination. “I _am_ here to save my friend,” he states.

“Then I’ll have to forcefully remove you.” Liam’s hand starts to glow and in two strides, he hits Scott's chest.

Scott flies across the room and hits the wall behind him with a shout of agony. His body crumples to the floor and pain shoots throughout his entire body. He gasps loudly and clutches the hand that is on his chest. It takes him a couple of minutes to register the worried faces in front of him and being bombarded with questions.

“Scott? Scott! Can you hear me?” Stiles asks, snapping his fingers in front of his face. “How many fingers am I holding?” He asks while holding up two fingers.

“Two,” Scott answers and let’s Stiles and Liam help him to his feet. “What happened?”

“Dude! Whatever you did wasn’t good. Theo’s heart rate was going up then a source of power made you fly across the room!” Stiles shouts, looking over Scott for any wounds.

“Is he okay? Is he going to come back?” Liam asks desperately.

“I tried to get him back, but he doesn’t want to come. Whoever is keeping him from escaping forced me out of his mind.” Scott groans when his friends sit him down on a chair. He presses the pads of fingers to his forehead and huffs at the splitting headache he has now.

“What? Why?” Liam asks and grips Scott’s wrist, digging his claws into his skin and crushing his bones. “What did you do?” He growls, flaring his yellow eyes.

That answers Scott’s question about Liam’s eyes, but the pain that shoots up his arm makes him wince, distracting him from answering Liam’s question.

Stiles notices and places a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You’re hurting him. Let him explain,” he says quietly.

Liam snaps his teeth at him and Stiles takes a step back. “You’re on your own, brother,” he mumbles.

Liam narrows his eyes at Stiles before he huffs and releases Scott’s wrist. He looks back at Scott with an arched eyebrow. “Well?” He snaps.

“I just tried to convince him to come back, but he refuses to. I—I can’t do anything else, Liam. He won’t come back,” Scott whispers and bows his head in defeat.

Liam looks over his shoulder at Theo’s comatose form. Scott eyes the beta’s expressionless face and waits as the silence stretches on. Finally, Liam turns back to Scott with a glint in his eye. _He has a plan._ “I’ll go,” Liam says.

“No! It’s too dangerous, Liam. You’re not an alpha. Remember the last time a beta tried to do it?” Scott asks. He tries not to look at Theo because of what he did to Lydia.

“Then you’ll do it.” Liam grabs Scott’s hand and presses his thumb in the palm of his hand until his claws come out. “You’ll take me inside his head.” He raises Scott’s hand to the back of his neck.

“Are you sure?” Scott asks, uncertainty written on his face. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“Then Theo will have to take me with him.”

That’s a hard pill to swallow, but even if Scott refuses, Liam will find another way to get into Theo’s mind to save him. This is the safest way to do it, and they’ve gone this far. They can’t go back now.

Scott clenches his jaw and nods. “Okay.” One more chance at this. He just hopes Liam will be able to convince Theo.


	8. Without You, I Lose Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s interesting how you write out an outline but end up doing something entirely different. This outcome makes a lot more sense though. We’re almost done! Yay!! Just 2 more chapters and I will complete this work. I’m so excited to wrap up their beautiful story.
> 
> THERE’S A TRIGGER WARNING ON THIS CHAPTER!! It’s also a spoiler, so I’ll provide it at the end, but make sure to check it out if you’re sensitive to certain topics.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated. They keep me motivated to write. 💞

When Liam gets pulled into Theo’s head he almost trips over his feet when a wave of nausea overcomes him. A strong hand grips his arm and keeps him upright until his vision comes back to him and he doesn’t feel like puking his guts out.

“Ugh. How can you do this?” Liam asks while being hunched over. He places his hands on his knees and breathes heavily through his nose to keep down the bile that rises in his throat. 

“You’ll get used to it,” Scott says beside him.

Liam hears a chuckle coming from Scott and twists around to glare at him. Once he knows he won’t get lightheaded, he stands and observes the area they landed in; the green grass, the garden surrounding the two-story house, the blue truck parked in the driveway, and the trail leading to the front porch.

“This is my house,” Liam says incredulously, his gaze sweeping over the area again. He looks down at his shoes and runs his gaze down the sidewalk. All he sees is darkness, not being able to see much past his house.

“There’s something you have to know about this place,” Scott starts and turns to look at Liam. “His happy place is you.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asks, turning towards Scott.

“He loves you. You’re in there too, but that isn’t the real you.” Scott places a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “You love him too. I know you do. You have to tell him. It’s the only way to get him back.”

Liam’s eyes start to water, his heart on the verge of beating right out of his chest. “What if it isn’t enough?” He’s thought about this more times than he cares to admit. 

“It will be, trust me.” Scott smiles encouragingly, always the optimistic one, then his expression turns into one of curiosity. “You’re not wearing the scrubs my mom gave you,” he points out with an arched eyebrow.

Liam glances down at his clothes with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. “What the—” How did he not notice? He’s wearing a black bomber jacket and a Metallica t-shirt, which  _ definitely  _ isn’t his. The blue denim jeans are his, but why is he wearing different clothing? One look at Scott confirms the older boy has the scrubs on.

“Uh, Liam. I can’t go past this barrier,” Scott says. He pushes his hand against the invisible barrier and huffs, gritting his teeth. “I can’t hear anything from inside

Liam takes a step forward and doesn’t get stopped by the invisible barrier. “I don’t think he’s letting  _ you  _ in.” He sighs. “I have to do this alone.”

“Be careful,” Scott warns. “If anything feels wrong, and I mean  _ anything  _ you run. You come back to me. The Djinn still has Theo.”

“I’m not running unless Theo comes with me,” Liam says and walks up to the house. The front door isn’t the best tactic to diffuse this situation considering the two heartbeats he can hear inside the house. He recognizes Theo’s heartbeat, but he doesn’t know who the other one belongs to.

Liam avoids walking through the front door and circles the house, jumping over the wooden fence so he can get to the backyard. He tiptoes to the back door while keeping an ear out for their heartbeats. He can hear Theo’s heartbeat on the top floor but the second heartbeat is on the other side of this door.

With his werewolf strength, Liam manages to break the lock and push the door open. He winces when it gives out an audible squeak. He freezes in his tracks and holds his breath.

_ How the fuck was Theo able to sneak around?  _ Liam thinks to himself, making a mental note of bombarding him with questions.  _ Focus, Liam. _

When no one seems to hear the backdoor opening, Liam enters the kitchen and leans against the door. He screws his eyes shut and silently prays as he gently closes the door.  _ I’m inside. What’s the next step? _

Liam is  _ so  _ screwed.

He opens his eyes and wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans as he walks further inside the kitchen. The smell of food captures his attention and he peeks over the pot to see what’s boiling. He’s curious! He wants to know what this psycho is making for Theo.

“This psycho is making macaroni and cheese?” Liam whispers to himself and his face falls. Of all the things he thought about he didn’t think the Djinn would make  _ macaroni and cheese.  _ He’s relieved but also a tiny bit disappointed he didn’t get to see a human heart.

Liam spots a picture frame in the corner of his eye and he diverts his attention away from the food to stare at it. The picture frame is small layered with black borders and clean glass; without a smudge of dust on it as if someone took their time to clean it and with gentle care. A picture of him and his mother. His eyes well up in tears from the intense feeling of nostalgia and grief overcoming him. He deeply misses his mother.

Liam is so engrossed in the picture he didn’t notice someone sneaking up behind him until he feels a clawed hand gripping his shoulder, breaking the skin and making him bleed. Liam shouts and in an attempt to attack, he grabs the hot pan and swerves around to slam it against the person’s head. A replica of  _ him  _ falls to the ground out cold with a burning mark on the side of his face.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” Liam whispers harshly as he drops the pot on the stove.

“Liam? Are you okay?” Theo calls out from the top floor.

“What the fuck did I do? What do I do?” Liam whispers, practically shrieking the words as he crouches beside the unconscious figure. He grabs the person’s hands and drags them across the floor and into the living room. “This is so weird. I’m dragging  _ myself. _ ”

“Liam?” Theo’s voice sounds  _ a lot _ closer.

“Yes!” Liam yells, picking up his pace and wrenching the storage room open, almost taking the door off its hinges.

“Do I need to go down there?”

“No! I’m fine! Totally fine!” Liam laughs hysterically as he lifts the body and throws it inside the storage room. “Get,” he kicks the body further inside, “in,” he kicks it again, “there!” Liam slams the door shut and leans against it with a breath of relief. There’s no way Theo will  _ not _ be suspicious of the boisterous ruckus, but hey, Liam has always been noisy.

“I smell something burning,” Theo calls out.

“Probably my dignity,” Liam murmurs, stomping into the kitchen and turning the stove off. The macaroni and cheese are everywhere and burnt!  _ Oh well. Maybe it had evil ingredients in there made by the psycho that looks exactly like me. Same clothes and everything! _

“Is everything alright?” Theo asks, making his way down the stairs and into the kitchen with an arched eyebrow. A smirk overcomes his face and he laughs. “Did you burn the food again?”

Liam’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times upon seeing Theo awake and looking  _ healthy.  _ “Theo?” He breathes out.

“Uh yeah? I know you’re a little weirdo but you’re acting more weird than usual,” Theo jokes.

Liam ignores the teasing and moves forward in long strides to engulf Theo in a hug. He squeezes his eyes shut to block out the tears and nestles his chin on Theo’s shoulder. He grips two handfuls of Theo’s t-shirt and rubs his cheek against the soft material.

“What’s this for?” Theo asks with a smile, raising his arms to circle them around Liam.

“For never noticing.” Liam’s breath hitches and a single tear escapes. “For being so selfish and caught up in my own crap I never noticed you were in pain.”

“Where is this coming from?” Theo asks, pulling away from the hug to look into Liam’s eyes.

“Theo, I’m so sorry.” Liam whimpers and he can’t stop the overflow of tears streaming down his face.

Theo cups his face and wipes his tears away. His expression is thoughtful as he looks over Liam. His gaze lingers on the bloodstain on Liam’s jacket and he frowns. He touches the wound with gentle fingers and Liam flinches from the pain. Theo flicks his sad apologetic eyes up at Liam and slowly covers his bruising shoulder. Black veins start to form on Theo’s arm, siphoning his pain away.

In an instant, the claw marks are gone, but Liam barely notices the pain when he’s finally in Theo’s arms again.

“Liam,” Theo whispers, without taking his eyes off the beta. “You’re my Liam.” He smiles and pushes a strand of hair behind Liam’s ear.

Liam grabs Theo’s hand and intertwines their fingers, gripping them tightly as if his life depended on it. Maybe it did. “Theo, you have to come back. You have to wake up,” he says, his voice cracking from emotion.

Theo sighs, his eyes fluttering close when he moves forward until their foreheads are touching. Liam can feel Theo’s hot breath against his face when he whispers, “I— I don’t know.” He sounds pained and Liam wants to chase it away.

“I need you.” Liam tips his head, bumping their noses together. “I can’t do this without you.”

“Yes, you can. You’re strong and independent,” Theo reminds him.

“Well, I don’t want to do this without you. If you’re staying then I am too,” Liam promises.

Theo huffs out a small laugh, and he opens his eyes to gaze into Liam’s eyes. “You’ve always been a stubborn little wolf.”

“You love it.”

Theo smiles fondly. “I do. I love you.”

Liam returns the smile with one of his own. “I love you too.”

Theo’s smile widens and he takes a step back, releasing Liam’s hand. He takes a deep breath and sighs. “What do I have to do?”

“You’re not going anywhere!”

Theo and Liam turn to look at the Djinn who’s still taking the form of Liam. The burnt side of his face starts to knit back together and heal, a vicious smirk plastered on his face. “You’re not welcomed here.”

“This looks exactly like one of my fantasies without the threatening part,” Theo blurts out.

“Seriously?!” Liam shouts. “Are you really thinking about that right now?”

“I panicked okay! I don’t work well under pressure,” Theo says, crossing his arms over his chest. “There’s two of you! I’m so sorry my dirty thoughts get the better of me,” he scoffs.

“How is that one of your fantasies?” Liam asks in disbelief.

“Can we pretend I didn’t say anything?” Theo asks, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“No, we are not g—” before Liam can finish his sentence, the Djinn grabs his arm with a clawed hand and drags him away from Theo’s side. Liam shouts in pain and yanks his arm away, the Djinn’s claws shredding the jacket and staining it with even more of his blood.

“You little!” Liam growls loudly, baring his teeth as he feels the familiar rage inside him. He tackles the Djinn to the ground and roars, making the furniture shake around him. The Djinn roars back and flashes his blue eyes. The color dims and it changes to yellow, resembling the beta’s color. Liam brings down a clawed hand to slice his face but the Djinn blocks it effectively, groaning in frustration when the beta ends up slicing his arm and coating the claws with blood.

The Djinn punches his nose and Liam stumbles to the ground with blood running down his nose and feeling his eyes water. Both adversaries scramble to a standing position and Liam charges forward. The Djinn swerves aside and grabs his arm, twisting it behind his back and breaking a bone. Liam lets out a scream of pain and jams his elbow in between the Djinn’s stomach and chest. The impact causes the Djinn to release Liam’s arm and gasp loudly, finding it hard to breathe.

“Liam!” Theo shouts.

“What?” Both of them ask, turning to look at Theo.

“Fuck,” Theo whispers, looking between the two.

“He’s the impostor!” The Djinn points at Liam.

“N-No! I’m not!” Liam scrambles to think of something as he whines. “Your favorite color is red!”

“Your birthday is November 23rd!”

“Your full name is Theodore Karl Raeken!” Liam screams, tackling the Djinn to the ground and pulling back to punch him in the face repeatedly. What a menace  _ piece of shit.  _

The Djinn grabs his wrists and squeezes until there’s a snap, causing Liam to reel back with a shout of pain. The Djinn pushes him off and towers over him with a wicked grin. “You lose.” He wraps his hands around Liam’s throat and squeezes tightly. Liam gasps and claws at the Djinn’s hands in an attempt to save himself.

Before the Djinn can do any more damage, Theo comes up behind him and secures his arm around his neck, forcefully twisting his head to the side with a sickening crack. The Djinn’s dead corpse crumples to the floor.

Liam breathes heavily, his heart thudding painfully against his ribcage as he regains his vision; the ceiling comes to view, and relief floods his body. Theo helps Liam to a standing position and wraps his arms around him.

“Wait!” Liam pulls back to look at Theo. “What if you had snapped  _ my  _ neck?”

“You would’ve healed.” Theo shrugs.

“What?!”

“Kidding, kidding. I knew it was you. I can always find you.” Theo smiles. “Like you found me.”

Liam smiles and laughs quietly. “Yeah, we are pretty special.”

“But we should go. I don’t want to be in this place anymore,” Theo admits, looking around the area with distaste.

“Oh, yeah.” Liam swallows. “You— you have to kill yourself. It’s the only way to escape this world. No one else can do it. It’s supposed to be you.”

“Oh,” Theo whispers and nods. “Then you should go. You shouldn’t be seeing this.”

Liam shakes his head. “You don’t have to do it alone. I’ll be here, and when you wake up in the real world I’ll be by your side.”

Theo smiles. “Thank you.” He grabs Liam’s hand and squeezes it tightly. “So if I can control this hallucination then—” he closes his eyes and stays silent.

A gun appears in Theo’s hand and he opens his eyes, staring down at it. “It’s the easiest way.”

“I’ll be here,” Liam whispers. He places his head on Theo’s chest and squeezes his eyes. “It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“I’ll see you on the other side?” Theo asks, his voice wavering from fear.

“Promise.” Knowing himself, he will always be there for Theo.

Liam tightens his grip on Theo when he hears the safety go off on the gun. Theo wraps his arm around Liam while he raises the gun with his other arm.

_ Everything is going to be okay. _

Liam feels his claws and fangs threatening to come out as the seconds tick by. Then Theo breathes out and a shot rings out through the silent room.

Liam wakes with a gasp and feels a sting of pain when Scott takes out his claws. Liam’s breathing picks up and his whole body starts to shake. His heart thuds painfully against his ribcage and he digs his claws into his skin, blood overflowing his hands and landing on the floor. A sob breaks out of his shaking body and he bites his tongue to keep from growling.

“Liam.”

Little by little, Liam’s panic attack subdues and his head snaps up to look at Theo who’s sitting on the hospital bed and looking at him in concern.

Liam surges forward and wraps his arms around Theo in a bone-crushing hug. He climbs onto the bed, being mindful of Theo’s weakened state, and settles beside him. He feels Theo’s arms wrap around him and he hums contently.

Melissa comes into the room and walks up to the bed. The new scent in the room causes Liam to lift his head and growl at her. She raises her hands and smiles at him. “I just need to check up on him,” she explains quietly.

Liam doesn’t stop growling and snaps his teeth at her when she takes a step forward. Theo curls a hand around the back of his neck and presses his nails into his skin until Liam’s growling quiets into a pitiful whine. His claws and fangs retract, and he glances at Theo in confusion.

“She’s here to help me,” Theo points out carefully, staring into Liam’s blue eyes.

“I need to talk to Theo alone,” Melissa says.

Liam bares his teeth in warning but Theo gives him a shake of his head. “I’ll be fine. Go.”

Liam huffs and begrudgingly stands from the bed. Theo lets go of his neck and Liam immediately starts to miss the weight and warmth as he exits the room. He hears footsteps following after him and turns to look at Scott.

“He’s okay now. You got him back,” Scott reassures him, reaching out to pat his back.

“I know. It’s just…” His voice trails off, leaning into the touch his alpha is providing.

“You have the need to protect him,” Scott finishes, receiving a look of confusion from Liam. “I’ve felt that before for Allison.”

“Does it get better?” Liam asks.

“No, but you learn to embrace it.”

Liam sighs and lowers himself onto the chair when they reach the waiting room and drops his head back against the wall. “I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

Scott offers a small smile before sitting beside him. “We all kind of do at some point when it comes to the person we care about.”

Liam nods in agreement because Scott  _ is  _ right. Without Theo, he would’ve lost himself. He  _ was  _ losing himself, but now he feels complete.

• • •

After two long horrendous days, Theo is released from the hospital with a warning to take care of his health if he wants to stay away from the hospital. Liam makes a note of that since he  _ is  _ taking Theo home with him. He’s so determined to keep an eye on the wounded chimera he would’ve handcuffed their wrists together if it wasn’t for Parrish’s refusal to give him the handcuffs.

“Really?” Theo deadpans, tugging his arm away from Liam’s tight grip. “I don’t need a babysitter breathing down my neck. What if I need to take a piss?”

“I’ll just turn around,” Liam says as if it’s  _ obvious.  _ He can hide behind the shower curtain if Theo isn’t comfortable seeing him!

Theo closes his eyes and inhales deeply, raising his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. “Liam, just— no.” He shakes his head and opens his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll stand beside the door,” Liam says.

“I don’t think you’re getting it.” Theo stops Liam in his tracks with a hand on his elbow. He slides his hand along Liam’s arm, causing goosebumps to form, and takes his hand to intertwine their fingers. He levels the beta with his gaze. “I’m fine. I really do appreciate what you’re doing for me but I need my space.”

“Oh…” Liam whispers and frowns, feeling an intense wave of shame overcoming him upon realizing how clingy he sounds. He doesn’t want to suffocate Theo. It’s the last thing in the world he wants to do, but he can’t help being overprotective over the chimera. He tears his gaze away and looks down at his feet.

“None of that.” Theo lifts Liam’s chin with the pads of his fingers and smiles at him. “We’ll talk about this later.” He gestures between them. “But for now I need a meal in my body and a good night’s sleep on a warm bed.”

Liam tightens his hold on Theo and nods vigorously. “I would offer to make you something but you know how my cooking skills are.” He chuckles nervously and fiddles with the drawstrings of his—  _ Theo’s  _ hoodie.

Theo smiles fondly at him and brings Liam closer, until their shoulders are touching, with a tug of his hand. “I know,” he whispers. Liam can feel his hot breath against his face from their closeness, and he can feel his stomach turning in a  _ really  _ good way. “We can get takeout.”

“Can I get ice cream?” Liam asks once they make their way outside through the double doors.

Theo snorts. “What are you? A child?” He asks teasingly.

“Shut up! I haven’t had ice cream.” Liam pouts.

“Alright, alright. We will get your ice cream.”

“Great! Can I drive?”

“No.”

“But—”

“You’re a hazard on the streets. I’m driving.” Theo snatches his keys away from Liam and opens the car door to settle himself on the driver’s seat.

_ Look who’s the stubborn one now.  _ Liam rolls his eyes and walks around the truck to clamber into the passenger’s seat. While he’s buckling himself, he notices Theo staring ahead with a faraway look. “Are you okay?” He asks.

Theo shakes his head and clears his throat. “It’s just— I didn’t realize how hard I have it.” He chuckles but there isn’t any humor behind it. “I’ve been adapting to the Djinn world and I almost forgot I was homeless with no pack.”

Liam reaches out and covers Theo’s hand that’s clutching the steering wheel. For a split second, he thought he heard the leather break from the force but Theo starts to relax. “You’re not homeless anymore. You’ll be living with me, and you have a permanent spot in  _ my  _ pack. We’ll be co-alphas.” He jokes towards the end.

“Co-alphas?” Theo laughs and Liam can vividly see him relax. “We’re not alphas.”

“Co-alphas in training! Keep up with the program, Theo!” Liam laughs along with him and pulls away. “I’m in the mood for chicken nuggets and a McFlurry from McDonald’s.”

“You did not just suggest  _ McDonald’s _ .” Theo groans, slamming his head against the steering wheel and jumping when he accidentally blares the truck’s horn.

“I want the Mcfucking McFlurry, Theodore!”

“Don’t call me that!”

“Can we just go now?” Liam whines.

“I’m starting to think I’m the one who’s babysitting you,” Theo murmurs under his breath as he turns the key in the ignition to turn on the engine.

• • •

After getting Liam’s high cholesterol food and Theo’s health freak salad from a place Liam has never heard from before, they head  _ home. _ It feels like home with Theo by his side eating his salad and drinking a weird-looking green drink.

“What  _ is  _ that?” Liam asks, eyeing the drink while blindly sticking his tongue out for the straw. He misses it a couple of times and ends up closing his mouth around thin air until he  _ finally  _ catches the plastic straw, taking a long sip of his McDonald’s Sprite.

“It’s a juice mixed with apple, cucumber, celery, spinach, kale, lemon, and parsley,” Theo lists off the names from the label on the bottle.

Liam’s lips part in disgust and he stares at the drink with distaste. “Why would you drink that?”

“It’s really good. It’s my favorite from the juice cleanse they have,” Theo explains.

“Juice cleanse?” Liam asks.

“They have this juice cleanse you can do for three to five days. You just drink the juices for three whole days to cleanse your body. I do it at least every three months. Well— when I used to afford it.” Theo shrugs, taking a sip of his juice. Just by looking at it, Liam wants to gag.

“Why would you do that to yourself?” Liam asks.  _ What kind of maniac wants to cleanse their body with juices?  _ He can never function without food in his system, and he’d bet he would be angrier than usual without it. “How can you survive without food?”

“I’ve done it since the age of nine. I’m used to it,’ Theo explains without any negative emotions.

“That is so  _ fucked.  _ Oh my God.” Liam grabs a chicken nugget from its box and nibbles on it. “I’m never taking you for granted ever again,” he whispers to the chicken nugget.

“Are you done making out with your food?” Theo laughs quietly and shakes his head. “I’m going to take a shower.” He stands from the chair and grabs his trash to discard it in the disposable bag.

“Take your time. I’ll be here— making out with my fries,” Liam points out while holding out his  _ large  _ fries.

“How can you eat  _ that? _ ” Theo points at the meal.

“Don’t judge me!” Liam exclaims. He grabs his M&Ms McFlurry and stuffs a spoonful of ice cream inside his mouth. “The extra towels are in the—” he mumbles around the spoon but gets cut off by Theo.

“I know where they are. I’ll leave you to your ice cream,” Theo says while climbing up the stairs.

“How do you know?” Liam asks and huffs when he doesn’t receive an answer. A minute later he hears the water running and tunes out his supernatural hearing to give Theo his privacy.

Liam finishes his meal and disposes his trash before going to his upstairs bedroom. He yawns loudly and stretches his arms over his head.  _ Ah, the food coma begins.  _ Liam face plants on the bed and burrows into the pillow, closing his eyes.

A few minutes later, his bathroom door opens and he hears Theo walking around in his bedroom. Liam smiles into the pillow, finding it amusing at how quiet Theo is trying to be. He lifts his head and opens his eyes in time to see Theo stop in his tracks.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” Theo asks, pushing his wet bangs to the side.

“I didn’t fall asleep yet.” Liam shuffles around to lay on his back and kicks his shoes off. He thinks for a moment before he sits up and takes off the hoodie and his t-shirt. He raises his arms and makes grabby hands at Theo in his half-asleep state.

Theo starts to relax and there’s a hint of a smile as the older boy takes off his—  _ Liam’s  _ t-shirt. The less clothing the  _ better.  _ Plus, they’ll need to go shopping for clothes that will fit Theo since Liam’s clothing fits him a little too tight.

Theo crawls on the bed and lays next to Liam, uncertainty displaying on his face and scent.  _ No need for that.  _ Liam scoots closer to Theo until he’s half on top of him and places his head on the chimera’s chest. He hears Theo’s heart skip a beat and it makes Liam smile against the heated skin. He throws a leg across Theo’s waist and nuzzles against him.

Theo shifts under him and tugs the blanket over their bodies. He places his hand over Liam’s and buries his nose in the mess that is Liam’s hair. Maybe he should’ve showered before collapsing on the bed, but he shoves that thought away. He’s comfortable and  _ warm.  _ It doesn’t take him long to fall asleep with the sound of Theo’s slow breathing and calm heartbeat.

Theo is finally safe in his  _ arms. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Theo kills himself so he can escape the Djinn world. According to the lore, they can only escape by killing themselves. Liam experiences a panic attack right after. I got kind of emotional while writing the scene.
> 
> Be safe and talk to a friend. I love you. ❤️ I’m always open to listen.


End file.
